The Synergy Project Magazine - October 2020

THE
HISTORY
OF
INDIAN
FOOD
By: Shubaani Kumar
Indian cuisine is known for its
wide array of spices, bold colors,
and distinct aromas. Along with
having an expansive variety of
different dishes, Indian cuisine has
a rich history as well. The origin
of Indian food dates back nearly
5,000 years ago (A Guide To Indian
Cuisine, n.d.). Different regions
of India all have different origins
for their cuisines. In North India,
the cuisine is influenced by the
Mughals dynasty (Lewis, 2011),
which ruled India from the early
16th century to mid 18th century.
Saffron and gravies of blended
nuts and cream were all acquired
from the Mughals. On the other
hand, South Indian food still retains
many aspects of the Dravidian
culture which thrived 4,500 years
ago (Sahni, 1990). One of these
aspects is food being served on
banana leaves, which is believed
to be healthy and is considered
auspicious. The cuisine of eastern
India originated from the previous
European explorers and Muslim
settlers (Sarkar, 2019). Their mark
left behind a unique variety of
foods which are unlike those of the
other regions of India. West Indian
dishes have Portuguese influence
due to Goa, an Indian state being
home to a Portuguese colony
and trading port for 450 years
after originally being captured by
Alfonso de Albuquerque in 1510
(Britannica, 2018). Throughout all
of India, there is a wide assortment
of all kinds of dishes. From sweet
to spicy to savory, there is a dish
for everybody to enjoy! Along
with amazing food, India’s cuisine
has a deep and rich history with
influences from many places.
A popular dessert in India is
kheer, or in Southern India, more
commonly known as payasam. This
dessert is generally eaten during
or after a meal. Kheer consists
of milk, sugar, and some sort of
carb, whether it be rice, tapioca, or
vermicelli (Santosh, 2016). Along
with these base ingredients, kheer
can be infused with spices such as
cardamom and saffron for flavor
(Santosh, 2016). Nuts and raisins
may also be added for textural
variety. This dish dates back to
ancient Indian diets through its
link to Ayurveda (Santosh, 2016).
Ayurveda is considered to be one
of the oldest healing sciences
(Lad, 2006), and relies on natural
remedies to treat physical and
mental health. Asides from this, not
much is known about the beginning
of kheer as a dessert. The first
reference of kheer was found in the
14th-century Padmavat of Gujarat
(Santosh, 2016). Back then, kheer
30 THE SYNERGY PROJECT MAGAZINE