Foreword

In India, cooking transcends sensory delights and is deeply woven into our socio-cultural life and rituals. Indian cuisine is a testament to the country's rich culture and traditions, encompassing diverse landscapes, languages, festivals, and ethnicities. The varied climatic conditions across India have also influenced the choice and availability of ingredients and spices, adding to the unique tapestry of our culinary heritage.

Indian food heritage is a blend of art and science, exceptionally vast and diverse. The saying "Annam Parabrahma Swaroopam," which translates to "Food is like God," encapsulates our collective ethos and reverence for food. Indian cuisine has evolved over time, shaped by internal innovation and various foreign influences.

Our tradition gloriously positions food at the heart of our gastronomy, cultural identity, religious practices, and social interactions. The ancient belief of "Atithi Devo Bhava," meaning "The guest is God," elevates hospitality to an unparalleled level.

Food has played a pivotal role in national integration. Spices from South India are essential to Kashmiri cuisine, while saffron from Kashmir enriches South Indian delicacies, showcasing food as a unifying force. Travel facilitates intercultural exchange and dialogue, breaking down barriers of ignorance and prejudice. With billions of people crossing international borders annually, tourism offers a golden opportunity to foster understanding and unity through the shared experience of food.

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Preface

India boasts a rich tradition of wholesome and revered cuisine, reflecting a profound respect for food that continues to this day. In Indian culture, food holds a divine status, integral to ceremonies and religious celebrations. Rooted in the ancient principles of Ayurveda—where 'ayus' means life and 'Veda' means knowledge—Indian food embodies the essence of life itself, beginning with the fundamental ingredient: food.

Indian cuisine, ancient and steeped in tradition, is an amalgamation of diverse ethnic influences, making it one of the most multifaceted, vibrant, and colorful culinary traditions globally. It mirrors the rich heritage of its people and the dynamic historical and cultural developments over the centuries. India's welcoming spirit has embraced settlers with varied belief systems for over two millennia, from Greeks, Arabs, and Turks to Mughals, Portuguese, French, and British. These interactions, coupled with the influences of tourism, trade, fiscal policies, globalization, and a burgeoning youthful population, have intricately shaped Indian cuisine.

Historically, Indians led healthy lifestyles, primarily engaged in farming, ensuring the consumption of fresh produce. The belief that good health begins with proper digestion and robust metabolism is deeply embedded in Indian tradition. Food, considered as potent as medicine, is encapsulated in the Ayurvedic shlok: "food is medicine if consumed properly." This timeless wisdom underscores the significance of food in the continuum of life and health in India.

Dr. Anshumali Pandey

History of Indian Food: An Introduction

Five thousand years of ‘unbroken civilization’ have drawn nourishment from this ancient land of India. Unique civilizational dialogues, scientific and philosophical thought, and travelogues have shaped the experience of Bharatvarsh (India), a land girdled by snowy mountains to the north and oceans to the south, west, and east. These natural barriers, far from isolating India, have served as conduits, welcoming diverse influences and offering passage to the hungry heart.

The history of Indian cuisine dates back more than 10,000 years and has been significantly influenced by Hindu and Muslim traditions. However, the culinary landscape of India has also been enriched by the Portuguese, Persians, and English at various points in history. When we think of Indian cuisine, spices, spicy flavors, and vegetables often come to mind. These elements are indeed characteristic, but they only scratch the surface of a vast and diverse culinary tradition shaped by the country’s enormous size and the regional variations within it.

Situated at the heart of a vast network of land and sea routes, the kitchens of India reflect a shared heritage born of continuous accumulation and skilful adaptation, resulting in something uniquely Indian. To contemplate India’s cuisines, as varied and ancient as the land they flavor, is to contemplate the heart of civilization and its basic essence. At the core of this vibrant exchange and dialogue is Taste—the taste for pepper and spices. This grand appetite has driven different cultural narratives to merge into an extraordinary, vibrant, intricate mosaic that completes the story of India.

India’s culinary history is intertwined with its cultural history. The cuisines, fragrances, fabrics, and architectural styles that have arrived with successive waves of immigrants have been seamlessly synthesized with indigenous culture and practices. The story of Indian cuisine is, in many ways, the story of India itself—a history marked by the integration of diverse influences and the creation of a unified yet multifaceted cultural identity.

The Indian subcontinent, blessed with fertile lands and a favorable climate, has always been a land of abundance. Ancient texts like the Vedas, dating back thousands of years, mention a variety of foods and elaborate rituals centered around meals. These texts highlight the importance of food in spiritual and daily life, showcasing early forms of culinary sophistication.

The introduction of various ingredients and cooking techniques from different regions and cultures has only enriched Indian cuisine. The Mughals brought with them the opulence of Persian culinary traditions, introducing rich gravies, dried fruits, and nuts into Indian dishes. Portuguese explorers introduced chilies, tomatoes, and potatoes, now staples in Indian cooking. British colonial rule left its mark with the fusion of Indian and British culinary practices, resulting in unique Anglo-Indian dishes.

Indian cuisine is a testament to the country’s ability to absorb and adapt external influences while preserving its core identity. Each region of India boasts its own distinct culinary style, developed through centuries of local tradition and external influences. From the fragrant biryanis of Hyderabad to the coconut-laden curries of Kerala, from the robust kebabs of Lucknow to the delicate sweets of Bengal, Indian cuisine is a rich tapestry of flavors, ingredients, and techniques.

This book, ‘History of Indian Food,’ aims to take you on a journey through this fascinating culinary landscape. It explores the origins of various regional cuisines, the historical events that shaped them, and the cultural exchanges that enriched them. It delves into the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda, the influence of royal kitchens, and the impact of globalization on contemporary Indian food.

Embark on this culinary journey and discover the rich history, diverse influences, and profound cultural significance of Indian cuisine. Through the pages of this book, you will gain a deeper appreciation for the flavors that have tantalized taste buds for millennia and continue to enchant the world today.

A Quick Indian Food History Sequence:

2300 BC: The First Harappan Cities Emerge

By 2300 BC, the simple villages of the Indus Valley had evolved into sophisticated, planned, and walled cities, marking the zenith of the Harappan civilization. Notable cities like Lothal, Mohenjodaro, and Harappa boasted impressive granaries filled with a diverse array of crops such as barley, wheat, oats, amaranth, jowar (sorghum), sesame, chickpeas, oilseeds, masoor (red lentils), mung (green gram), dates, and pomegranates. These granaries are a testament to the advanced agricultural techniques and dietary preferences of the Indus Valley inhabitants. Trade, particularly with Mesopotamia, played a crucial role in the economic and cultural life of these urban centers, with barley, sesame, and linseed oils among the key exports.

2500 BC: Dravidian Civilisation

A variety of enriching influences shape the development of Southern India, including connections with Africa and South East Asia, which account for the transfer of food plants such as ladyfinger, some gourds and tamarind. Ragi, bajra, jowar, panicum samai, mung and horsegram are among the ancient foods cultivated at the ancient sites of Brahmagiri in Karnataka which provides evidence of food production by 2300 BC and Nagarjunakonda which shows evidence of food cultivation by 2000 BC and of fish and meat consumption by 1500 BC. Rice comes to dominate the palate after 1600 BC so much so that paddy (along with salt) becomes the principal measure of value. Alcoholic beverages are imbibed across sections of society, even by women in the company of their lovers. Wine brewed from germinated grains in pots is frequently mentioned and chewing ginger is the recommended antidote to the heavy drinker.

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1500 BC: The Aryans Settle In The Indus Valley

Sometime between 1575 and 1500 BC, nomadic Aryans from the north settle in the ruins of the Indus Valley. Aryan mealtimes of rice, cereal, meat, green leafy vegetables and pulses tempered with turmeric, coriander, pepper, cumin, cloves, asafoetida and mustard (and, the occasional sips of the intoxicating soma), speak of appetite attuned to nature’s bounty and shaped by the Ayurvedic ideal of six essential rasas (tastes). Ayurvedic discourse emphasising well-being through a thoughtful diet influences the Aryan diet in imaginative and insightful ways.

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1424 BC: Kurukshetra Battle Erupts

The great Bharata War grows out of a complicated genealogical tangle over inheritance; the Pandava brothers win in a bloody massacre. Vyasa’s epic Mahabharata, composed around 200 BC from oral tradition, reflecting the life of such kshatriya princes, describes the most wonderful royal repast, including Yudhistir’s feast that honours ten Brahmins with venison, pork and preparations of milk and rice mixed with ghee and honey, fruits and roots.

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1400 BC: Oral Composition Of The Rig Veda Begins

Around 1400 BC, the Aryans began to compose the Rig Veda, the earliest collection of Indian hymns. The compendium of hymns subsequently composed reflects the agricultural, pastoral and philosophical Vedic culture of the Aryans who are keenly alive to the force of nature. A prayer from the Yajurveda, composed around 800 BC reads like a litany of foods: "May for me prosper, through sacrifice, milk, sap, ghee, honey, eating and drinking at the common table, ploughing, rains, conquest, victory, wealth, riches. May for me prosper, through sacrifice, the low-grade food, freedom from hunger, rice, barley, sesame, kidney beans, vetches, wheat, lentils, millets, panicum grains and wild rice. May for me prosper, through sacrifice, trees, plants, that which grows in ploughed and unploughed land."