1. Unit
1
Ayurveda and Indian Food Cultures
Regional Food Transitions of India
Nutrition and lifestyle transition over the
years
2. Introduction to Traditional Indian
Knowledge Systems
What is traditional knowledge?
nique to any specific region or socio-cultural group
eflects the evolutionary path that marked the development of such knowledge
ultural identity of the social group in which it operates and is preserved
World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) definition: “indegenous knowledge relating to
gories such as agricultural knowledge, medicinal knowledge, biodiversity-related know
expressions of folkelore in the form of music, dance, handicraft, designs, stories and
ork.”
Which country boasts of a wealth of traditional knowledge examples?
Why?
https://
iptse.com
India
One of the oldest civilizations rich in culture and heritage
3. Chikenkari - Lucknow Madhubani art/ Mithila art -Bihar
Kalaripayattu Martial art- Kerala
Bihu dance - Assam
4. Protection of traditional knowledge?
Traditional knowledge created by our ancestors.
Defines our culture
In many communities still a means of livelihood
Freely available in public domain and so easily exploited
The Government of India has collected traditional knowledge
from various sources in India and collated it in a digital form
in a library called Traditional Knowledge Digital Library
(TKDL)
URL: http://www.tkdl.res.in
https://iptse.com
The knowledge of India traditionally contained in 2 domains:
“Para Vidya” meaning “higher form” of knowledge: “Metaphysical knowledge”
Domain 1
Domain 2
“Apara Vidya” covers all aspects of “Worldly knowledge”
5. “Para Vidya” “Apara Vidya”
Vidya Kala
Sanskrit origin: “vid” means “to reason upon”,
Finding, knowing, acquiring or understanding.
“correct knowledge” in any field of science,
learning, philosophy or any factual knowledge
that cannot be disputed or refuted.
Theoretical knowledge base: 18 disciplines
Comprises mainly the art and craf
forms: 64 crafts
The 4 Vedas: Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda
The 4 subsidiary Vedas: Ayurveda, Dhanurveda, Gandharva Veda
and Shilpa
Puranas, Nyaya, Mimamsa and Dharmasastra
Vedanga: Phonetics, Grammar, Metre, Astrology, Ritual and Philo
6. Rigveda: oldest of all, collection of Metaphysical
musing. It reflects on the fundamental nature of
our universe and attempts to discover underlying
concepts
Yajurveda: describes how religious rituals and
ceremonies must be performed
Samaveda: is almost entirely taken from Rigveda
except for 75 verses. The hymns in this must be
sung in a proper manner for spiritual evolution
Atharveda: primarily about practical issues of
daily life of the Vedic society. Ayurveda finds its
roots in Atharveda
The Four Vedas
7. Period of Oral Tradition Period of Documentation
• Vedic knowledge communicated
through Gurus (teachers) to
Shishyas (students) through “Shruti
Parampara” verbal discourse.
• Shishya was made to learn the
verses in eight ways
• Knowledge passed on within
families
• Post Vedic period, great churning
of intellectual thought processes
which culminated in the
development of Darshanas or the
Indian Philosophies.
• This was the period of scientific
temper, logic and reasoning.
Ayurveda
The rudimentary medical knowledge from Atharveda expands into a
system called Ayurveda
Traditional medical system of India , known today as “alternate
medical system”
Ayu
Ved
a
Life: The unified
state of body, mind
and soul
Science,
Consciousness,
Knowledge
8. Original Ayurveda Treatises:
1. Charaka Samhita
2. Susruta Samhita
3. Astanga Hridaya
Often referred to as the three big books
and cover several important concepts such
as Tridosha, Saptadhatu (about 250
herbs), some rudimentary knowledge of
disease and cure
9. History and Evolution of Indian
Food
Indian food culture evolved with Indian civilization.
Therefore tracing evolution of food
from Indian history is important for understanding
Indian cuisines and dietary practices.
Indian culture can be explored through its foods.
• Culinary choices in India governed by socio-
cultural region
• Royal Kingdoms a hub of chefs where food
innovations, dishes and methods of cooking
evolved. Recipes passed on to common man’s
kitchen
• Modern Indian cuisine a balance between
personal and social choices based on available
resources
Evidence of evolution of food collected from a survey
of ancient religious scriptures from
Archives, newspapers, memoirs, travelogues,
research articles, poems, history books and
10. Important Eras in Indian History
• Prehistoric Era
• Vedic period
• Mughal Era
• European colonization
11. Pre-historic
Era
dence from cave paintings found in Rajasthan, Gujrat and Punjab showing episodic sto
survival and transition to agrarian community.
in characteristics of the pre-historic era:
Hunting-gathering
Fishing
Rudimentary forms of cultivation
Eating habits governed by survival instincts
Slow development into an agrarian civilization
2.5 million years ago to 1200 BC
• Pre-literary period (between the use of first
stone tools by hominid and the beginning of
recorded history with invention of language)
• Difficult to trace due to lack of uniformity in
language
• Further characterized into 3 archaeological
periods:
i. Stone age
ii. Bronze age
iii. Iron age
12. Food consumed during this era
lants and Animals
Bones of cattle, goats, sheep, buffalo and pigs found at Harappan excavation sites
Bones of deer, boar and gharial, remains of fish and fowl also found
Grains and pulses: chickpeas, red lentil, green peas: introduced from Western Asia to th
Barley (oldest Indian grain) and wheat found at archaeological sites.
Methods of preparation
Grilling
Boiling: evidence from wide mouth bowls
Stone tools for pre-preparation, storage and cooking
Large saddle querns for grinding grains into flours, smaller rolling pins and quern
ones of same size and weights used for barter and trade.
Bern Historical Museum in Switzerlan
https://www.sciencephoto.com/
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdwjX
13. Vedic
Era
1500 – 600 B.C.
• Decline of Indus valley civilization followed by Vedic period
• North-western region of Indian subcontinent occupied by Indo-Aryans
• Period of documentation with texts on medicine, yoga, literature, religion etc.
• Examples: 1. Patanjali’s yoga sutras
2. Caraka’s charaka-Samhita
3. Upanishads
Most of the Aryans then were pastoralists:
milk and milk products like butter and
curd
Vedas mentions grains used during those
times: Barley (staple food), cultivation of
wheat, sugarcane and millets, lentils: red,
green and black
Later rice and cereals also added
Sweetcakes made of barley, batter, honey
and nuts like almonds, pista called apupa
or Malpua
14. • Animal meat consumed by Hindus in what is now Punjab: cows, goats
buffaloes and bulls The practice of eating horse flesh introduced by Aryans
but did not settle well with the natives
• Sesame seeds important as food (cooked with vegetables, added to bread
or crushed to extract oil) and in rituals.
• Turmeric, pepper and mustard seeds used for flavouring
• Fruits and vegetables mentioned in the vedic period: bael (Aegle marmelos),
mangoes, dates, lotus stalks and roots, gourds, jujubes and water chestnut
• Alcoholic beverage : sura mentioned in Rigveda but disapproved for
consumption
Methods of preparation
Meats were mostly roasted in clay ovens or in spits over charcoal
The food culture and consumption among Indo-Aryans was caste
based:
Brahmins, caste priest usually vegetarians practiced the philosophy
of sattva
15. Mughal Era
1526 - 1761
• Indian food culture has a strong influence of the Mughal era (founded in
1526 by Babur). With Mughals came a flood of culinary inspirations and
innovations still practiced in India.
• Modernization and innovation in the culinary world came around this
period
• Muslim rulers who were based in Sind started invading India after 700 A.D.
• Chillies, tomatoes and potatoes unknown to Indian kitchen till late 17th
and
18th
century
• Afghan flatbreads: naan bears some influence of Egyptian and
Mesopotamian breads
• Koftas in Afghanistan are meatballs of minced beef. The vegetarian
version replaces meat with grated vegetables and paneer
• Jalebi, phirni (boiling soaked rice in milk along with nuts and khoa)
16. Mughlai cuisine rich and spicy mainly meat based
Spices traded between Mughals and other rulers in India
Saffron (very expensive spice)known for its sweet floral scent was imported
from Kashmir
Cardamom, pepper, nutmeg, ginger and turmeric from South India
Apart from the common spices, aromatic spices such as musk (nutmeg),
camphor, rosewater and ambergris (obsolete now)
https://www.goya.in/blog/the-
fascinating-story-of-camphor
17. Source books:
Ni’matnama (The Book of Delights, Ghiyath Shah, 15th
Century)
(Recipe of Sambusas, Karhi, pakoras, kabab, tandoor, khichri,
shurba)
Nushka-i-Shahjahani (Nushka u Namak, Shah Jahan,
17th
Century)
Khulsat-I Makulat u Mashrubat (Alwan-I Ni’mat/
Khwan-I Ni’mat)
(Contains 40 chapters, such as: Nan-ha, Qaliya and do pyaza,
saag, bharta, dal, khichri, shirni, malida, tahiri, halim, firni,
faluda, gulgula and khajur, murabba, achar, etc.)
https://journalofethnicfoods.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42779-022-00129-4
18. European Colonization
Era
1505 – 1947
• European colonization started with Portuguese trading in Indian spices
• In 1498, Vasco da Gama reached the Malabar coast of Calicut a bustling
port where trade of spices, cloth and a variety of extravagant goods took
place between Hindu, Arab and Chinese merchants
• As the Portuguese empire expanded trade of plants, animals and ideas
called as Columbian exchange became important in shaping the cuisine of
various regions
• Goa seized in 1510 and made capital of Estado de India (State of India)
• Following which spices were grown all along the Malabar Coast for trade
https://
www.worldhistory.or
g/article/2025/the-
portuguese-
conquest-of-india/
https://youtu.be/
R-9DEuEnJTo?si=h-
Y3DPwA4exU_aXr
19. • Traditions of Hinduism and Islam questioned and eradicated.
Those that could not e eliminated were banned. Growing tulsi was
banned.
• Bandel cheese and channa added to food. Rasaghullas, Sandesh
inspired from chenna
• Rasgulla known as rasagola in Odisha prepared in Jagannath
Temple in odisha in the thirteenth century AD.
• Sandesh mentioned in medieval Bengali literature including
Krittibas’ Ramayana
• Columbian trade introduced crops like potatoes, okra chillies,
pineapples, papaya, cashew, peanuts, maize, guava, custard apples
and sapodilla
https://www.cheeseprofessor.com/blog/bandel-cheese
20. Tomatoes not native to India, brought in through trade with other Asian
countries, which in turn got through trade with Spain
Bengal cuisine influenced by tomatoes and Indian gravies
Makki ki roti: Punjab
Vindaloo, carne de vina d’alhos, Caldo Verde and Bibinca: Goa
Bhaji pao: Maharashtra
a. Chicken Vindaloo is a spicy, aromatic Goan
curry adapted from the Portuguese Carne de
vinha d'alhos.
b. Chicken Xacuti is another Goan curry made
with chicken, poppy seeds, toasted coconut
shredding, black pepper, chilli, and other
spices
21. Export of silk, sugar, salt, opium and tea and import of ham, cheese, beer
and wine (for the English population in India
British drove away French from Bengal in the 17th
century after the decisive
Battle of Plassey in 1757
Overthrew the Dutch in mid 18th
century
Most notable effect of the British on Indian cuisine is found in brewing
Taverns served wine, beer, rum and other British spirits
Punch (Paanch)– made by mixing five ingredients – arrack, rosewater, citron
juice, sugar and spices
British were fond of tea. Exported to England from the plantations in China.
When they discovered tea growing in North East India they set up tea
plantations in Assam, Darjeeling, Nilgiri Hills in southern India and Sri
Lanka
British Influence
https://www.indianarrative.com/opinion-news/punch-and-paanch-how-queen-victoria-popularised-
luxury-spirits-in-the-uk-with-indian-roots-137889.html
22. • British grew crops like carrots, cauliflower, spinach and cabbage
• Omelettes
• Converted Christians and Anglo-Indians started imitating practices and
cultures of the Britishers
• Roasted beef, meat and potato curry, pepper water or rasam (spicy beef
broth), jalfrezi (meat or fish stir-fried in a dry sauce along with vegetables)
and dry fry (beef cooked with onions, tomatoes, spices in very little oil.)
23. Understanding Rich Sources of
Nutrients
Terms and definitions :
th: is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the abs
sease and infirmity.
ase: is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function
art of an organism that is not immediately due to an external injury
Macronutrients Micronutrients
Nutrients required in large amounts on
an everyday basis (in gms) like carbohydrate,
protein and fat
Nutrients required in lesser amounts on
an everyday basis (in mg or μg) like vitamin
and minerals
Daily value/ Daily reference value: A recommendation for the quantity (expressed in
percentage) of a specific nutrient that an individual should consume per day in hi
or her diet.
Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) : A nutrient intake value that is estimated t
meet the
requirement of half the healthy individuals in a group.
Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA): Average daily level of intake sufficient to mee
24. Functions of Food
(a) Physiological function of food
Energy giving foods (Carbohydrates and fats
Body building foods (proteins)
Protective or regulatory foods (vitamins,
minerals and fibre)
Cereal grains (rice, wheat, jowar, bajra),
Fats and oil (ghee, butter, nuts, oilseeds),
Sugar (sugar, jaggery and products)
Pulses and legumes ( arhar, moong, urad), nu
Milk and milk products, eggs, meat, fish.
Fruits, vegetables, milk, meat, fish, organ me
(b) Psychological and social function of food
Means of expressing friendship, love, camaraderie, social acceptab
Facilitating social interaction
Demonstrating compassion
The great transitional crisis of life
The rites of passage
Source of enjoyment
Happy symbol at specific life events
Emotional needs are met: comfort food, mother’s expression of lov
26. Concept of Balanced Diet:
alanced diet is one that offers different foods in the right proportions and quantities
m all the food groups.
tors that affect intake of nutrients:
Age
Gender
Physiological status
– 60% calories : carbohydrates – whole grains, millets, root vegetables
– 15% calories : proteins
– 30% calories : fats
n-nutrients : dietary fibre, antioxidants and phytochemicals
Dietary fibre, also known as roughage or bulk, includes the parts of plant foods
your body can't digest or absorb. Unlike other food components, such as fats,
proteins or carbohydrates — which your body breaks down and absorbs — fibre
isn't digested by your body. Eg oats, peas, beans
Free radicals. In very high levels, they are capable of damaging cells and genetic
material. The body generates free radicals as the inevitable byproducts of turning
food into energy. Free radicals are also formed after exercising or exposure to
cigarette smoke, air pollution, and sunlight. Anti oxidants defend these free
radicals. Eg vitamin C (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, kiwi, lemon, orange), vitamin E
(almonds, avocado, leafy veggies, spinach)
27. Phytochemicals are plant-based bioactive compounds produced by plants for
their protection. They can be derived from various sources such as whole grains,
fruits, vegetables, nuts, and herbs. These phytochemicals possess strong
antioxidant activities and exhibit antimicrobial, antidiarrheal, antiallergic,
antispasmodic, and antiviral activities.
ICMR – National Institute of Nutrition – My plate for the day (2000 kcal)
28. Nutrition and Lifestyle
Transition
Terms and definitions :
rition Transition: modernization, urbanization, economic development and increased
lth leading to predictable shifts in diets.
n communicable diseases (NCDs): also known as chronic diseases, tend to be of longe
ation and are the result of a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and
avioural factors. Main types of NCD are cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes.
cessed food: foods that have altered during preparation. Some, but not all, processed
ds contain high levels of sugar, salt or fat.
mography: is the statistical study of populations, especially human beings. Demograph
census data, surveys and statistical models to analyze the size, movement and structu
opulations.
sical activity: WHO defines physical activity as any bodily movement produced by ske
scles that requires energy expenditure. Physical activity refers to all movement includin
ng leisure time, for transport to get to and from places, or as part of a person’s work.
29. utrition transition” can be described as dietary and lifestyle shifts in a nation when it
comes wealthier, more urbanised and more open to international trade.
A shift towards an abundance of fatty, sugary and highly processed meals and sedenta
style.
Has implications on both environmental sustainability and human health
Industrial revolution leading high income countries to move towards diets high in oil, s
d processed food. Low and middle income countries – shift in 1980s and 1990s
Five patterns of diet and activity
age 1: Hunter gatherer lifestyles
age 2: Early labour intensive agriculture with periods of famine
age 3: Receding famine as agriculture becomes more industrialised and incomes rises
age 4: “Western” style diet high in calories, sugar, animal fat and processed foods and
dentary lifestyles
age 5: Healthier diets and more active lifestyles
ach stage occurs at various times and in various locations
Within a country, different subpopulations may be at different phases of the nutrition
Most low and middle income nations are transitioning from stage 3 to stage 4 also asso
h increase in obesity in these countries
30. Health implications of nutrition transition
ncrease in non-communicable diseases linked to sedentary lifestyle
n every region of the world the proportion od adults who are overweight, obese or hav
aised blood glucose levels increased from 2010 -2014
ecline in physical activity
se in cytokine level, cardiovascular diseases, non-insulin-dependent diabetic mellitus
Domains of Physical Activity
Leisure-time domain
Occupation domain
Education domain
Household domain
Transportation domain
31. Overall and area-wise weighted prevalence
of hypertension, generalised obesity, and
abdominal obesity
Overall and area-wise weighted prevalence
of diabetes and prediabetes
ICMR-INDIAB Study
32. Regional Food Traditions of
India
East Indian Cuisine West Indian Cuisine
North Indian Cuisine
South Indian Cuisine
Central Indian Cuisine
https://magicpin.in/blog/thalis-of-india/
33. East India
Cuisine
Bihar West Bengal Jharkhand Odisha
Rice is the staple food in eastern region of India. Due to the favorable
climate, eastern India grows a lot of rice.
A wide variety of dishes are prepared from fish. Hilsa is the most popular
fish in eastern India. Mostly available during the monsoons, this is famous
for its unforgettable taste. Several delicacies are made of Hilsa, Rohu, Vetki
etc,
Plenty of vegetables are also grown in this part of India. Vegetables also
form a substantial part of Eastern Indian meals. The spices used in their
cuisine are also markedly different from those used in the other parts of
India.
Sweets are a striking feature in Eastern Indian Cuisine. The people from the
35. West India
Cuisine
Rajasthan Maharashtra Gujarat
Rice is the staple food in the western India too. Wheat, bajra and jowar are also
consumed in regions such as in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
In Gujarat region and of course Mumbai you would find Parsi influences in
their cuisine. Vegetarian dishes like Pav Bhajis, Bhel puris and Dhoklas are
gourmet's delight here. Due to concentration of the Jains in Gujarat, the state
excels in vegetarian cuisine with the subtle use of spices and rich texture.
In the coastal areas of Maharashtra and Goa, sea fish are available in
abundance. Preparations of sea fish marinated in tantalizing spices are sure to
tickle your taste buds. Goa, with its signature Portuguese influence has
specially won the heart of food lover through stomach with the exotic seafoods
including crab, prawn.
The food of Rajasthan is rich in spices. But if you can brave a little spicy affair,
you may be able to enjoy the Rajasthani cuisine.
Goa
36. North India
Cuisine
Kashmir
Uttar Pradesh Punjab
Uttarakhand Harayana
Influenced by Mughal cuisine
Abundant uses of butter based curries and dried fruits and nuts are striking
features of north Indian cuisine. Wheat that grows profusely in northern India
forms the larger portion of north Indian meal. North India lives on Roti,
Chappatis, Paratha and Tandoori all made from wheat.
Lots of oil, ghee, butter along with rich spices are used as the medium for
cooking which lend the north Indian food a very strong flavor.
Meat also enjoys a special place in north Indian cuisine. A variety of Kebabs
and Biriyanis (a tantalizing marinade of rice and meat) bear the Mughal legacy.
Samosa is possibly the most popular snack in north India. Lassi is another
beverage made from curd; Gulab Jamun, Motichur Laddoo are popular sweets.
Reshmi Kabab, Seekh Kabab, and Shammi Kabab, Kashmiri Pulao, Tandoori
37. South India
Cuisine
Tamil Nadu Kerala Telangana Karnataka Andra Pradesh
South Indian cuisine is a vegetarian's delight. Striking feature in south Indian
cuisine is the use of coconut oil. In most of the delicacies, coconut is also used
profusely.
Rice is staple food here too. Idly, Dosa, Vadas and Uttapams, made from rice
ground with lentil, are popular south Indian specialties, mostly in Tamil Nadu.
Also try spicy, oily and aromatic Chettinad cuisine while you are in Tamil Nadu.
In some parts of South India like Andhra Pradesh, Biriyani prepared from rice
and mixed with meat is a masterpiece. The dish has a rich heritage of Mughal
association.
In the Malabar coasts, like Kerala, they make fantastic delicacies of sea fish
including crab and prawn. The strong aroma of spices is another charm of
cuisine of Malabar Coast.
38. Central India
Cuisine
Chhatisgarh Madhya Pradesh
Wheat is primary followed by rice
Poha, Sabudanakhichdi, Palak puri and dal bafla are popular breakfast items
Bhopaligosht korma, Seekh kababs are popular
Rice, bajra and jowar are staple foods of Chattisgarh
Muthia, Aamat, Chila, Bhajia and Bara are important dishes from Chattiisgarh
43. • Rice and wheat roti are the main staples and eating them with dal and
curries are most common traditions in India. The dessert or sweet is the last
course of meal.
• Dairy is used in some form or the other in all regional cuisines as milk, curds,
buttermilk, paneer and ghee.
• Cooking oil depends on local cultivation and availability. Mustard oil in north
India, coconut oil in Kerala, peanut oil in Telengana, Maharashtra and north
Karnataka, and sesame oil in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
• The religious groups, caste groups, tribes, urban and rural groups within the
region have their own unique food. Indian functions are incomplete without
a sumptuous meal at the end.
• Health wise, foods have both preventive and curative values. The kitchen
remedies are the first resort of treatment for and Indian, given that the
spices and condiments have great medicinal values.
Food Traditions: Similarities and
Dissimilarities
46. Continuity from
ancient time
• Barley was the major food grain during Vedic period.
• Apupa: The barley flour boiled in water or fried in ghee and then dipped in
honey.
• Rigveda mentioned the term ghrtavantam, which means cooked in ghee for
the apupa. Most probably, ghee was the only thing used for frying.
• Dharma sutras mentioned the referenced of frying the vatakas (vada) in ghee.
• Arthashastra carries forty references of frying. Use of mustard oil is mentioned
(a common use till today in the Ganges valley).
• Charaka Samhita recommended ghee for frying in autumn, animal body fat in
spring and sesame oil in the rainy season with the aim to balance the doshas.
• Sushrutha Samhita cautions that the fried foods are hard to digest.
• Acaranga Sutra mention the preparation of sarson ka sag.
• Taittriya Samhita mention the use of a wild sesame seed jartila.
47. • Ramayana and Mahabharata mentioned the use the of coriander, cardamoms
of four kind: cinnamon, spikenard (jatamanshi), nutmeg (jaiphal), and aloes.
• Buddhist literature mention about the use of kusumbha (the sunflower seed)
as a source of oil.
• Buddhist and Jain literature (400 BC) mention the boiling of shali (red rice) /
vridhi (ordinary rice) or cooked with til seeds.
• Sweetened dishes used jaggery and broken rice or rice mixed with oilcakes
and fried.
• Pulses are consumed as supa (soups), vatakas (vadas) and parpatas (papads).
• Mandaka was a large paratha stuffed with sweetened pulse paste and baked
on an inverted pot.
• Madhusarika was a sweet cake, rice cooked with milk and sugar was called
payasa.
• Sesame oilcake or sesame powdered with rice flour and jaggery the tasty fried
dish shaskuli (tilkul of today).
•
48. • Abhilashitarthachintamani (also known as Manasollasa) written during King
Someswara III’s reign from AD 1126 to 1138. It has a chapter of Annabhaoga.
Where 25 pages gives recipes for preparation of a variety of dishes like: idli,
dosai, vadai, dahi-vadawadian, poli, shrikhand, peni, laddu.
• The idli seems to be first mentioned in the writing in Vaddaradhane, a
Kannada work in AD 920 by Shivakotyacharya.
• The dosai is first mentioned in the Sangam literature of 6th
century AD.
• The word jalibu is from Arabian zalabiya or Persian zalibiya. (First mentioned in
1450 AD by Jinasura)
• Earlier, Yagnavalka Smriti in Sanskrit and Tamil literature mentioned pallao or
pulao.
• Parsians and Arabs are credited for pilav, pulao or pallao, where rice is cooked
with meat and spices.
49. • Sukhadhanya (cereals)
• Samidhanya (pulses)
• Shakha (vegetbles)
• Phala (fruits)
• Supyam (spices)
• Payovarga (milk products)
• Mamsavarga (meats)
• Madhyavarga (alcoholic beverages)
A meal needed to include all six tastes in order to be balanced and healthy
because each meal was believed to exert a particular action on the three
bodily bio-energies, according to taste. In Indian tradition, eating food is a
sacred activity.
Vargas (Types of food
products)
50. Cooked food could be of five types :
• Charvya (food that need to be chewed)
• Bhojya (food that need no chewing)
• Lehya (food that were to be licked)
• Chusya (food that were to be sucked)
• Peya (food to drink)
Six types of tastes:
• Madhur (sweet)
• Amla (sour)
• Lavana (salty)
• Katu (pungent)
• Tikta (bitter)
• Kashaya (Astringent)
