India is a vibrant country, with a blessed geography. It has mountains, rainforests, deserts, and an expansive ocean coastline – a beauty to behold. To understand the food culture of the country, it is important to look at the climate first. According to the principles of Ayurveda, there are specific foods that should be consumed as per the weather. But then, it is not just the food and the seasons either, there are also cooking and preservation techniques depending on the geography.
India has four official seasons – Winter, Summer, Monsoon, and Post-Monsoon. Ayurveda dictates a constitution of life forces – the doshas vata, pitta, and kapha. While vata involves the energy of movement, pitta involves digestion or metabolism, and kapha involves lubrication. Meanwhile, there are six tastes – sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent.
Indians usually listen to the season, finding wisdom in what is available from Mother Nature. For example, Monsoon is the season when people are most prone to catch colds and cough. Stone fruits which are rich in antioxidants are most available during this season in India. In Summer, when the body is in need for hydration, fruits and vegetables like watermelon, cucumber, and other kinds are available in abundance.
Summer: Okra, jackfruit, pumpkin, brinjal, cucumber, mango, litchi, melons, Indian blackberry, palm fruit, cashew.
Monsoon: Okra, colocasia leaves, apple, custard apple, stone fruits, etc.
Winter: Mustard, spinach, fenugreek, amaranth, beans, radish, red and black carrots, spring onion, green garlic, kohlrabi, ash gourd, yam, orange, chiku, guava, strawberries, grapes, figs, Indian gooseberry, etc.
Geography and food
Rice is a staple in the coastal regions of India – Maharashtra, east and north-east, and South. Meanwhile wheat is mostly eaten in regions that get less rain – north India, central, and west India. There are several seasonal and regional grains and millets available like corn, sorghum, and foxtail millet.
There are also rules on what not to eat in a specific season. For e.g., the religion of Jainism preaches not to eat green leafy vegetables during monsoon season as they may carry worms – and Jains are against killing of any organism. Fishermen in Maharashtra do not venture into the sea during monsoon, which is why the state consumes dry fish curries and delicacies in this season.
India's diversity of culture and food is one for the books. Eating seasonal fruits and vegetables not only aids digestion, metabolism, and overall wellness, it also helps one fight seasonal diseases and stay active throughout the year-round.