What our histories owe to the food that we eat

Given that we celebrate Independence Day in August, it becomes fashionable to villainise the British. However, even the most ardent nationalist in this state will doff their Mysore peta to Benjamin Lewis Rice, the administrator-turned antiquarian/ historian in whose memory stands a church on.

Both Rice and Wilks chronicled agriculture. However, if you want to look at the historical zenith of regional gastronomy, you must open the ancient Sanskrit and Kannada shastras.

What Happened

In the 12th-century text Manasollasa, written by the Kalyani Chalukya King Someshvara III, the only sweet deemed worthy of mention is the payasam. The text includes topics on poetry, art, music, dance and all good things including perfumes and food.

• As anthropologist MN Srinivas observed in The Remembered Village, a satisfying meal meant eating until the stomach could hold no more, punctuated by a necessary, resounding post-meal belch, which gratified the hostess and signalled.

• All of this reminds us that before we became obsessive modern dieters, the traditional idea of a good meal was beautifully uninhibited.

• The last chapter contains recipes using bamboo shoots and myrobalan, along with preservation methods for pickles and papads.

Key Details

In his royal kitchen, cooking was done exclusively with pure ghee, tamarind provided the sourness, and chilies had not yet arrived to disrupt the palate. The king was clearly an aesthete, as he gave specific instructions about food preparation, including a technique.

• These include recipes for 28 dishes with eggplant, 16 dishes with jackfruit, 25 dishes made with raw bananas and banana flowers.

• The remaining three chapters are on dishes made with various vegetables.

• The third chapter is on nine types of sweet payasam (pudding), eight types of cooked rice, and 24 types of mixed rice dishes.

Why It Matters

Kannada text Lokopakara by King Chavundaraya laid down the rules of Soopashastra (culinary science). It reads like an ancient domestic manual, breaking down ingredient substitutions, methods for seasoning butter, and cookware selection.

• The second chapter describes the preparation of various soft drinks salty, sour and sweet in taste.

• The first chapter describes the preparation of 35 breads, sweets and snacks.

What Reports Say

Coverage of the story so far points to:

• Continued reporting by Hindustan Times as more details emerge