Understanding Traditional Foods: Going Back to our Culinary Roots
Blessed with a rich and varied cultural heritage, India is home to various foods from the country's different regions. The country's geographical and cultural differences and its variety in local produce, traditions, temperament, and eating habits are the various factors that are responsible for this diversity in its cuisine. To truly understand a country's culture, one need not look much further than the foods people eat and how they are prepared, served, and consumed. Food is also instrumental to rituals and traditions, religious beliefs, and the bringing together of the family unit.
Every part of the country
boasts vibrant food traditions based on seasons, festivals, cycles of
Agricultural practices, celebrations, weddings, feasts, and even fasts and
funerals. At different points in its history, due to rule by invaders, India
was influenced by many foreign cuisines and, of course, the countless
traditions that an ancient civilization developed over the centuries. Many
local Indian culinary practices are still known outside their regions. New
political boundaries arise, but culinary boundaries do not coincide with
political ones.
The most decisive
influence on Indian cuisine is Ayurveda. It is knowledge concerning the
maintenance of long life. Life combines the mind, body, and soul. One of the
wonders of Indian cuisine is that every meal is a feast. It is almost
impossible to keep track of the innumerable recipes used exclusively for
particular ceremonies and festivals. Preserving and promoting the traditional
recipes from the treasure trove of Indian cuisine is very important. The
regional food of India is among the country’s intangible cultural heritage.
Government Initiatives,
stakeholders, Hotel management colleges, and Hospitality sectors play a
significant role in preserving traditional food by cooperating with them in
menus and syllabi so that future generations can understand its importance.Food
is only one aspect of all cultural traditions, yet it is probably one of the
most persistent. Food is a source of pleasure, comfort, and security. Food is
also a symbol of hospitality, social status, and religious significance, with
the changing lifestyle and working population residing and changing the culture
of generations becoming more cosmopolitan in their lives and food habits as
well. There have been tremendous changes in food habits and intake patterns
owing to the increase in changing lifestyles, women's employment, per capita
Income, and other environmental factors.
Traditional
food is locally sourced, fresh, and seasonal food. We've been eating it since
we were young, so our bodies are accustomed to it. It is superior to junk food
since it can be quickly produced without preservatives or copious amounts of
saturated fat. Traditional foods are low in calories and ideal for maintaining
weight. They are substantially healthy for the heart because they contain less
saturated fat. Only traditional foods include many crucial oils and vitamins.
Modern chefs
will make a much more effort to help protect the environment they source their
products. They feel a sense of responsibility for transferring food awareness
to their guests. Currently, the first step towards bettering our understanding
of nature seems to be to put ourselves in the farmer's shoes. Millets that were
once integral to the Indian diet lost their way. Millets were part of daily
consumption but were not traded so much in India, but they are back as a
healthy superfood. There is greater acceptance and adoption of traditional
millet-based dishes nowadays.
Our food has
a long and diverse history lot has been lost in terms of culinary heritage.
Nevertheless, there is concerted effort today to do more to preserve a
community’s food culture. Documenting the food culture
of various communities is a way to remind us and the generations ahead of our
strong culinary heritage. Feel Proud of our Traditional Indian Cuisine and try
to understand the roots of its origination with emphasizing the science and
culture behind it.
I recommend everyone to consume nourishing food and maintain a healthy lifestyle keeping our traditional values sustainable.
Dr. (Chef) Prem Ram
