Spices in Indian food
Thursday, November 22nd, 2007Longstanding vegetarianism has been a singular influence in Indian Food customs, especially among the Jain and Buddhist communities. Effects of such custom are also omnipotent in most South Indian states. A recent survey has revealed that almost 31% of Indians are vegetarians.
Way back in 7000 BC, sesame, eggplant, humped cattle made their appearances in domestic vegetation system in India. They were later followed by turmeric, cardamom, black pepper and mustard. Most of the Indian Recipes emerged during the Vedic period. Again a majority of these recipes made liberal use of spices to make them tasty and attractive.
The Vedic Indian Cuisine mainly consisted of fruits, vegetables, meat, grain, and dairy products and honey. However, as the time passed, a good number of people turned vegetarian. Thus they were in constant search of new types of vegetables and more recipes for vegetarians. Vedic culture also differentiated between the food habits of the people by categorizing them as Satwik, Rajasic and Tamasik basing on the combination of the food items.
Use of spices make the food tasty and gives it a luring odor. But at the same time there is also a negative side since liberal use of spices could lead to various ailments mostly of stomach. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why a good number of India Recipes have come up that does not make much use of the spices in their preparations.