India Herbs

Publication: Ayushveda.com

Author: Dr Soni

Date: April 25, 2007

This article describes about the Indian Cuisine and preparation methods that developed from ancient times. It is based upon the preparation that developed from its primitive form and are still used in some way or the other for diet purpose now days.  

After studying about all the Kalpanas (medicaments) from charka to Bhaishajya Ratnavali we can easily subdivide the medicaments into food based and drug based.  The total Indian cuisine, be it the north Indian specialty or the south Indian all seems to be derived from the pathaya kalpana (food based mendicants).  To know more about it just we list about the similar preparations found in ayurveda and now in The Indian cuisine.

“Odan: - Cooked rice”

Yusha: - all the dals (cereal based Indian preparations)

Salshkuli: - puri (deep fried bread)

Raag: -fruit juice preserved by adding mustard mishri (sugar confectioned)

Shadaav: -  Chatani (paste of fruit with spices)

Khad, Kamblik, Katwar

Takra, Dadhi, All are butter milk based

Yavagu: - are cooked rice based preparations.

Apart from that as we proceed towards the non-veg segment a large variety is available in both charka & sushrut.  Sushrut offer various type of flesh that is grilled in.  Roasted, boiled.  Apart from that a specialty of Indian snacks Kachori is also present in sushrut listing.  These treaties also describe about the squash-based preparation in its primitive form as sharkara.

In Bhava prakash a clear distinction is seen in all the food based and medicinal preparations.

The spatiality of soups is including all the variety.  Again the all spices that are commonly used in Indian cusine are there present in Charka Shushrut, up to Ashtaang samgraha as Veshvaar the spices used in soup of non-veg varity.

All these major varieties from medicaments from Charka to Bhaishajya Ratnavali are seems to present upto Ashtaang samgraha. 

Finally than they were treated as medicine but later on they laid down the foundation of cookery improvement.  Bhava prakash divides these preparations into Aahaar (Food) segment.

From Sharangdhar only specific yavagu, odan, yush are seen and the rest are found to laid down the foundation of Indian cuisine.

And coming upto Bhaishajya Ratnavali only specific food based medicaments are left and the rest were increasing the deliciousness of Indian food.

Now days as the ayurveda practice is also modernized and the capsule tablets, sugar coated tablets, in-jectables are used. The natural essence of the delights of old cuisine based treatment is left into the hands of Indian housewives mainly.

So if you are in India and taking Indian food don’t forget to remember about that the shaak (vegetable preparations), daal (cereal based preparations) all are from the old Indian classics of ayurveda.

The frying of daal or puri is also seen in Bhava prakash and also describes about it that it increase the fat content so to be fit and five, remember about talking the balance combination of all the Rasa and food components that are imparting to the health of your body and mind.

This way all the variety of food In-India cuisine is originated from ayurveda and Bhaishajya Kalpana.
 

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