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Indian culture places very strict restrictions about food. 1. No outside food. For even until a decade ago, eating out was considered a last resort. The idea i
by kumarvvr 3y ago
Indian culture places very strict restrictions about food.
1. No outside food. For even until a decade ago, eating out was considered a last resort. The idea is that one must be aware of what exactly goes into ones food, and that usually meant home cooked food.
2. There are a variety of foods and flavors in India, that are recommended for various circumstances and contexts. Pregnant women had a well defined diet regimen.
3. Certain foods were not allowed in summers and certain foods were not allowed in winters.
4. For Yogis, the dietary restrictions are even stricter. No spices, less salt, limited sugar, limited meals, etc.
5. Fresh food was always prioritised. Food cooked more than 4 hours ago was considered poison.
6. Fasting is recommended in winter months and even once or twice weekly.
Indian cuisine and cultural norms are very complex, but well defined.
A balanced diet with all tastes, us always insisted. Up until a few decades ago, most items were made with ghee, rather than vegetable oil. And that ghee was also homemade.
- sirtaj 3y agoThis sounds a lot like a specific caste's food culture than general Indian culture. Dhabas and street vendors didn't pop up overnight.
- kumarvvr 3y agoI can guess the insinuation, but these norms were in place, culturally, across the spectrum. Sure, some castes (like Brahmins) have had stricter rules, while some had laxer ones (for Kshatriyas, Vysyas & Sudras) But I do know that eating out and eating only freshly cooked food was always the norm. Also, Dhabas and Street Vendors, are a relatively newer thing, starting up in about 1800's.
- sirtaj 3y agoI'm saying it didn't appear in the last ten years. And eating fresh food is pretty much a tropical standard, except for preserved items (pickles etc). It changed only with refrigeration.
- numpad0 3y ago> Food cooked more than 4 hours ago was considered poison. tbf, a random dish left under Indian room temperature for hours probably is actually unsafe. Mumbai right now is 32C/90F according to Google, which is about the worst temperature to leave food in.
- theshrike79 3y agoThere is a reason why salads aren't a thing in warmer countries. The same reason applies to people only drinking tea, not cold water. If it's not cooked, it might be actually dangerous.
- JumpCrisscross 3y ago> reason why salads aren't a thing in warmer countries Meanwhile cooked chicken can be safely left on a countertop in Canton for hours? This model needs more variables.
- theshrike79 3y agoNot an expert in China, but AFAIK the Chinese are big on eating food right after it has been cooked for this exact reason. Salads aren't a thing because they're likely to have bacteria in them and they've been sitting out for god knows how long. Same goes for proteins, if it's still sizzling hot when it's delivered, it was most likely just cooked and thus safe.
- vjk800 3y agoAnything cooked should be safer than anything raw. Cooking sterilizes the food.
- numpad0 3y agoI don't know, but they seem to often marinade chickens, then steam well, then hang dry, and/or keep hot. Temperature-growth chart for food pathogens is said to show a bell curve peaking at ~35C/95F. Keeping well-flavored food hot(>122F) works to similar effects as refrigerating, just not energy efficient nor good for maintaining flavors.