AEGAEUM JOURNAL ISSN NO: 0776-3808

AN EXPLORATION OF POPULAR FOOD ITEMS IN TAMILNADU – SOME EVIDENCES

Dr. R. Panneerselvam

Associate Professor, Centre for Tourism and Hotel Management, Madurai Kamaraj University, Palkalai Nagar, Madurai – 625021

ABSTRACT

India is a country where there is different strata people Bhramin sutra kshytriya and vaisiya communities as per our own traditional sections of the society and each of them are having their own traditional food consumed Bhramins and vaisiya never eat non-veg items and other may have their own preference towards selecting non-veg items. Our own Indian Vedas prescribed certain food items to certain sections of the people. Consumption of food is purely based upon their own traditional living pattern and their very old cuisine items. A food habit may vary from one region to another region in rice with and and other eatables kootu, aviyal, , thuvayal and bath is the most prominent item where as in North India Chappathi or with dhal is the only essential food. Even in South India, Andhra meals chilli powder is largely used in preparing ingredients items, In Karnataka with tamarind rasam is the most popular items and in Kerala or kappae kilangu with nendran banana fruit is used for preparing chips, bajji and others. In Tamil Nadu, valaipoo keari vadai, Potato , banana bajji are the most cheap food items available in tea shops. One can easily see the tea drinkers in Ooty and Nilgiris consumed varki as a porrai items. This present research embodies an analytical study on the trends and pattern of food habits of Tamil Nadu people.

Keywords: Trends – Pattern – Different Cuisines – Consumption – Attitude

INTRODUCTION

It is considered, that the Aryans set the agricultural outlines of food production that still exists in India. The farming of rice, pulses, beans, peas, wheat, linseed and even hemp is pointed out in the Yajurveda, but the Rig Veda does not state rice or wheat, only barley (yava). Thus makes barley one of the earliest grains known to India.

One is curious to know about the food eaten by the Aryans. Inferences about the food of the Harappa’s are made from the archaeological relics but there is conversely, little or no proof of their cooking habits. On the other hand, there are recorded facts of food eaten by the Aryans, in the Rig Veda and other books. Barley was fried in ghee and mannered into cakes or fried and then dipped in honey. Bengali sweets could outline its ancestry to this technique. Rice came in afterward, but went on to take over the food scene. Common supplements with rice were ghee, curds, pulses or meat. Wheat however not revealed in the Rig Vedas, finds cite in the Yajurveda and the Brahmans.

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NATIONAL STATUS

The Aryans consumed fruit juices from a very early stage. Juice taken from the mango, jamun, banana, grapes, coconut and edible water lily were quite common.

According to the Sutras, hospitality is one of the five responsibilities of the householder. Eating before offering to the gods, brahmanas and guests was considered improper. Sacrificial priests, father-in- law and a king were believed especially praiseworthy of hospitality, but one couldn’t disrespect even a sutra or a lower born as a guest. As well these, the minor individuals were also fed. Purity of food and hygiene while preparing food was greatly anxious upon. Food prepared during the night or that, which had gone unpleasant, was considered unfit for consumption. Commercially available foods were discouraged, especially ones that were flavoured.

The existence of hair, insects or rat droppings in food was not tolerable. Food smelt by human beings or animals was not eaten and so was food touched by the lower castes. There are numerous rules of good manners for dining, most of which are based on coherent. Progressively as the Aryans extend themselves throughout India, the entire country modified to their ways of food and life.

Amongst pulses the three prominent ones were urad, mung and masur. as well makes a look and meat was generally eaten. Animals such as ox, goat, bird, buffalo, humped bull and sheep were killed for food. Animals were killed at sacrament sacrifices and the meat would then be eaten. Dogs, village cock, boar and carnivorous animals were believed diet forbidden. The taboo was relented only for times of distress. Though, it should be illustrious that meat eating was promoted only when there were guests or as offering to the gods.

Barley is one of the oldest grains. Rice came in greatly soon after, but it quickly found a position of importance. Meat eating was general, but killing animals other than for eating or spiritual sacrifices, was not encouraged.

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

India is not only rich in heritages and monuments but also her sweet savouries and delicious dishes served along with their regular meals. North Indian are always interested to taste South Indian meals not only because of its of its dietary contents but also its sweets and different tastes of arusuavai unavus especially in the parts of Tamil Nadu each and every districts are having its own traditional heritage foods and also a different methods of the preparation style of foods. Our own ancient sangam

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literature strongly advocated five types of food like millet and honey for kurunji frontier, fish items for marudam frontier and so on.

People have chances of tasting pure vegetarian meals with 4 side dishes which is located in Trichy Madura cafe. In the evening time Chitra Annam like Tamarind bath, Kalkandu bath, Lemon bath, Sweet , Curry leaves bath, Coriander bath which is served by the age old famous Iyer Road caterer. Similarly Tanjore is not only famous for Thalayati Bommai but also famous for Ashoka Halwa Tiruvaiyaar, Kumbakonam Degree coffee, Mayavaram karugudi onion . One cannot see anywhere in India except Trichy a famous evening snacks namely pattanam pakkoda prepared by aadhikudi coffee club which is having larger customers from bureaucrats to politicians. In Nagercoil Sankaralingam Pillai gidh shop is famous for Thanni Meen kulambu which is frequently tasted by late MG Ramachandran former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. In Northern parts of Tamil Nadu like Vellore, Gudiyatham, Vallajah, Ambur and Vaniyambadi is famous for Ambur Mughal Briyani and Makkan Peda savory which is available only in Vellore. Similarly Chennai is having a higher chance of tasting bucket Briyani stalls served by Ya Mohaideen Briyani and SS Hyderabad Briyani. In Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri area one can easily found the serving of Kal which is made from Uri dhal.

IMPORTANCE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH

For centuries Tamil Nadu has been dominated by the Dravidian culture. The cuisine of Tamils therefore is distinctly different from that of the north, which is primarily wheat-based. The classic foods of Tamil Nadu center on rice and lentils with liberal use of coconut. Though equally balanced between vegetarian and nonvegetarian delicacies, Tamil food is better known for its mouth-watering and piping hot and dosas, which have now become all-India favourites and popular in many parts of the world. Both these are made from a fermented batter of ground rice and lentils. For , the batter is steamed into small puffy disks while dosa batter is spread thinly on a griddle and cooked into a crispy crepe/ pancake type of a dish. Both dishes are traditionally eaten with coconut and sambar, a thick soup of lentils, tamarind and vegetables. These are pure vegetarian.

A Tamil meal by tradition served on a banana leaf, with each dish placed in a particular spot on the leaf and designed to be eaten in a certain order, with definite arrangements of the dishes mixed together with the fingers. Before eating, a small portion of each food is set aside in the upper corner as an offering to God.

Meals are taken placed on the floor, and traditionally, the host constantly replenishes any food that is finished until the diner folds his or her leaf in half. This tradition is fast vanishing.

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The best Tamil food is prepared at home by women who have learned the secrets of every dish and spice mixture from generations of mothers and mothers-in-law. Amma in Tamil means mother and even the most highly trained chefs can’t quite duplicate the complex mixture of knowledge and love that an Indian Amma puts into her meals.

Though varieties of Tamil vegetarian food are spread throughout the state with its flavour spreading to neighbouring Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, the most popular cuisines are invariably non-vegetarian. Among these the Chettinad cuisine takes place of primacy though there equally traditional and delicious cuisines- Kongunad and Nanjilnad exists.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Vengatasubbu Reddiars studies on South Indian food during 2010 summarized that most of the popular items of Tamil Nadu is largely sold in the hotels in all parts of Tamil Nadu both as a breakfast and supper items.

Kumar (2012) insisted that coarse cereals, pulses and oilseeds as they are the major source of nutrition and staple food of a major part of the rural India and also dealt in detail about the popular food items of Tamil Nadu prevailed. They are easily cultivated in rain-fed areas and even in drought. But now they are considered as poor man’s food. Green evolution has completely avoided the uncouth cereals and pulses affecting the food and specially the nutritional security of the country. The study also reveals that food security does not mean to provide rice and wheat and just to satisfy the hunger of the people but it means to provide a balanced diet rich in , protein and vitamin and other essential nutrients. This balanced diet can be ensured by giving emphasis to cultivators of coarse cereals, pulses and oilseeds simultaneously with rice and wheat.

Mohammad (2015) argued that food security as a scenario where no child, women and man should go to bed with hungry and no human beings physical and mental capabilities should be stunted by malnutrition. He is also of the opinion that, the concept of food security should not be treated within the boundaries of the country but it should be treated at international levels, because no country can become self –sufficient in basic and non-basic food items on its own.

A handbook on hotel restaurants association (2019) clearly shows that the food habits of Tamil Nadu and its trends and pattern is invariably differed from one area to another area with some interesting coincidences.

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STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The present research embodies on, a panoramic view of the food habits of Tamil Nadu and lifestyles are discussed in detail. In this context is most appreciable to mention the different regions having their own different food habits. Virudunagar is famous for oil parota and recently the road side caterers are serving coin parota in a delecious manner to attract all sections of the people. In Nellai one can visibly seen that each and every family pulikulambu is prepared in the earthen parts which will be served in the next day in the already boiled rice bath which was popularly known as palaya sooru pulikulambu. Similarly in Thootukudi and Kayalpatinam Paramakudi Ilayangudi areas one cannot miss the chance of tasting massi dry fish is a delicious and enriched foods for all type of consumers. In Kanyakumari and Nagercoil there is a traditional way of serving panam sooru which is largely made up of from Palmyra products which is the high protein content food. In Dindugal one can have a bright chance of tasting non-veg especially jeeraga samba Briyani under a popular brand name like Dindugal Thalapakatti and Dindugal Rawuthar Briyani. Most of the hotels in Madurai cities are serving parotas with nalli chalna attracts from A to Z category people. Most of the hotels in Madurai City under the banner of Madurai Muniyandi Vilas which is served with idiyapam and paya and ingredients items which is made from goat leg. In Pudukottai, Sivagangai and Ramnad District there is a convention of arranging grade moi kagla fish which sells mutton Briyani with which is considered as most essential financial resource mobilization of financial resources for to all sections of the people. In textile city of Karur, Tirupur and Erode are famous for idly. A recent survey reveals that nearly 4 to 5 lakh idly are sold in each and every day of Karungalpalayam of Erode District.

SCOPE OF STUDY

The present research is having a vast scope of analyzing the attitude towards the preference of different types of food habits in Tamil Nadu is the maiden attempt made by the researchers in a particular angle only in micro level.

On analyzing trends and patterns of tamilians future studies in macro level in a detailed manner by the federation of hoteliers, tourism development corporation and other skate holders to solve the research problems and addresses some remedial solutions in a better way.

OBJECTIVES

The present research attempts to find out the following objectives

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1) To know the details about the popular food items available in Tamil Nadu. 2) To study the matters about the preferential attitudes towards selecting particular type of food. 3) To study the overall trend of tamilians in tasting common food items. 4) To decide the future trends and direction of changes of the existing consumers to the new delicious food items. 5) To study the causes and consequences of the food habits and its impact on their life style. 6) To suggest certain policy measures for its further improvements.

HYPOTHESES

 There is a significant difference between the preferential attitudes and their old traditional food habits.  There is no any association between income strata and brand loyalty of the consumers.  There is a high degree of the association between the Northern and Southern food habits of North Indians and South Indians.  There is significant difference between preference of vegetative and non vegetative food habits.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1) How to determine their trend and patterns of food habits of Tamil Nadu people? 2) What are the motivating factors in preferring certain food items? 3) How to judge the overall future trends on their food habits? 4) What is the role of government and organized bodies in judging their trends? 5) How to alleviate the problems and challenges involved under this sector? 6) What type of parameters should be followed to evaluate its future progress?

METHODOLOGY

The present research is undertaken with the help of explanatory research techniques which includes larger part of data collected from the already conducted service publish from various journals books and periodicals and reports of the government bodies.

The present research deals only a short span of 10 years. There is no possibility of adopting any suitable techniques in collecting data required for the study purpose.

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ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

The famous Chettinad cuisine is the traditional food of the banking and merchant Chettiyar community who made the areas of Ramnad, Karaikudi and Madurai their home centuries ago. Returning from their travels abroad, the Chettiyars brought back home with them the flavours of the Far East, from as far as Burma.

No Chettinad meal is complete without meat, especially chicken, lamb and prawns. These meats are marinated in masalas ground by hand to create aromatic and spicy dishes. Chettinad cuisine is replete with dried meats, kept in the sun to tide over the harsh dry summer months.

These dried meats are then cooked gingerly with oil and doused with masalas comprising precise amounts of aniseed, fennel, cumin, pepper, cinnamon and cloves. “Chettinad food has a lot more meat in it than the Nanjilnad and the Kongunad cuisines,” says culinary expert Jafar Sadiq. “The key is in the use of spices as far as Chettinad food is concerned,” he adds.

BEYOND CHETTINAD

Tamil Nadu is a multitude of geographical distinctions, as far as culinary expertise and tradition goes. As the coast and the hills exist side by side, their food too intermingles in a heady aromatic blend that leaves the food lover gasping for more. might well be the hot favourite in restaurants across the state but Tamil Nadu’s cuisines are not just about the Karaikudi variety of spicy, tangy masala-filled aromatic dishes. The foothills of the Western Ghats in the state as well as the southern shores lapped by the lazy waves of the Arabian Sea too have distinct cuisines of their own. These two regions are not known for usage of too much spice. The influence of Kerala is evident, as both of these regions fall along the border of the neighbouring coastal state. Welcome to the lesser known, but equally delightful cuisines of Kongunad and Nanjilnad.

KONGUNAD –FOOD OF THE WESTERN GHATS

Kongunad refers to the area along the western regions of Tamil Nadu – the areas surrounding Coimbatore, Kangayam, Tirupur, Pollachi, Salem, Erode and Namakkal. The soft-spoken Kongus make a variety of dishes equally soft on the palate. Some of the most popular dishes being Vazhaipoo Vadai (deep fried lentil balls with banana flower), Makka Chola Vadai (deep fried lentil balls with corn), Kongu Kaalan Varuval (mushroom fry), Pallipalayam Paalkatti Varuval (similar to pannier fry), Kongu Thakkali

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Rasam (tomato soup), Murungai Keerai Rasam (soup made with leaves of drumstick tree) and Pollachi Thengai (golden brown coconut gravy cooked with badam nuts).

Kongu food is synonymous to the coconut. Most dishes in Kongunad cuisine have coconut in some form – be it roasted and made into paste or freshly grated coconut or even coconut milk. Sesame seeds, groundnut and roasted turmeric are essential ingredients of the Kongu kitchen. These are then stirred together with coconut oil and fresh chicken or lamb to create mildly spiced, aromatic dishes that are easy to eat and digest.

Unlike the Chettinad version of dishes, Kongu cuisine uses only fresh meat. No marination is done beforehand and dried meats are seldom used. This brings a heady and fresh taste to the various dishes cooked in the western belt of Tamil Nadu.

“Kongunad cuisine is serener, more nutritious and they use a range of locally grown cereals like millets, ragi, black gram and horse gram.” says cookery specialist Jafar Sadiq, Managing Partner at Jacob’s Kitchen, a most popular chain of restaurants in Tamil Nadu which serves up delicious, little known Tamil fare. Sadiq and his late partner Jacob Sahaya Kumar traveled and researched little known traditional cuisines of Tamil Nadu for 14 long years. “Chicken and mutton are more popular since the area is not very close to the sea.”

Kongunad cuisine is also a reminder of the historic foods of the Tamils of western Tamil Nadu. Millets are used extensively, giving a flavour of the earth at the foothills of the Western Ghats. Tamarind too is used liberally, an antioxidant that grows in abundance in the area. A plethora of pulses and cereals are used in almost every signature dish of the Kongunad region. Cashew nuts and almonds are soaked and ground into creamy paste, forming the base for thick delectable gravies that are eaten with millets and coarse rice.

A specialty of the region is the Navathania Soup (soup made of nine grains). This combines millets, corn, ragi, wheat, black gram, horse gram, green gram, chana , field beans, pepper, coriander and curry leaves to bring a tasty and healthy soup to the table.

Kongu desserts are an absolute treat to the foodie. Local ingredients are used innovatively to create sweets that simply melt in the mouth. Palmyra and coconut form the base for many sweets exclusive to the Kongu region of the state. It is impossible to resist the Pathaneer halwa (sweet dish made of palm fruit juice) and Elaneer Payasam (sweet made of tender coconut) which are a couple of famous and mouth watering specialties of the Kongu belt.

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However, if you are a vegetarian, do not fret. The Kongu region grows and supplies fresh vegetables to the rest of the state as well as to neighbouring states. Fresh leafy greens, mushrooms, corn and carrots are locally grown and when added to the famous cashew based gravy of the region, bring out the bursting flavour of the land.

CUISINE OF NANJILNAD

While the most popularised variety of Tamil food is indeed the Chettinad style, the Nanjilnad cuisine is distinct for its taste and its breadth of dishes. Populated by the Nadar and fisher-folk communities, Kanyakumari region’s proximity to neighbouring Kerala has brought in a taste of the western coast in its food as well.

The people of this region speak both Tamil and Malayalam fluently. Their lifestyles too are shared, with hard work and excellent education being the hallmark of the Kanyakumari native. Fishermen head out to fish in the Arabian Sea at daybreak and at nightfall, they return with fresh catch of tuna, salmon, sardine and the locally beloved pomfret. Fish is the staple here and residents of Kanyakumari add seafood to almost every gravy and dish in their menu.

Coconut too is another staple, like in the Kongunad cuisine. The gentle swaying of coconut and palm trees of Nanjil landscape forms the perfect setting for a mildly spiced, nutritious food, rich in protein and fibre. Ginger, green chillies and garlic bring out the fresh flavours of locally available ingredients, creating heady concoctions hard for the food connoisseur to resist. “Since the Nanjilnad food is heavily influenced by Kerala, the taste is mild and lots of vegetables are added along with fish in the food,” explains Sadiq.

These dishes of fish and coconut are accompanied by the Kerala variety of rice. This rice is thicker and harder in texture than the traditional rice of Tamil Nadu. This reddish brown rice is steamed in water and the starchy broth left behind is consumed as an accompaniment to the meal. Beef is eaten in these areas, another influence of the neighbouring state of Kerala.

The Ulunthuchoru (rice and black lentils) is not to be missed when you head to the coasts of Kanyakumari. This is one of the traditional Nanjilnad dishes and is served in accompaniment with Varuthu Araicha Thovaiyal (roasted coconut chutney). Aviyal (stew) made with egg and fresh vegetables as well as Kerala’s famous Pappadam (papad) add to the high protein value of the tasty meal.

A specialty of this region is the variety of tapioca, rich in carbohydrates which can double as staple food and sweet-dish and is good for making chips. Tapioca pearls are referred to as “Javvarisi” in

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Tamil and most of the delicacies are cooked from this form of tapioca. During the famine of the fifties the poor in this region survived on tapioca as staple food.

One of the few spicy stews in the Nanjilnad cuisine is the Vendhaya Kuzhambu. Made of fenugreek, this thick aromatic stew is spicy and perfect with Ulunthuchoru, the preparation of rice and black lentils. Theeyal is also a trademark dish of this cuisine, consisting of vegetables in burnt gravy.

In the desserts department, Nanjil cuisine outdoes itself. Try the Kinnathappam, a traditional dessert literally meaning ‘plate cake’, a signature dish that natives of Nagercoil love. Made of white rice and coconut milk, kinnathappam bursts with nutrition and carbohydrates. Its cousin is the Elayappam, literally translating to ‘leaf cake’. A mixture of rice flour, coconut, jiggery and spices are wrapped tightly in plantain leaves and steamed. Other festival delicacies are crisp and crunchy Achu and Mundhiri Kothu made of rice-paste, lentil and jiggery combination.

In sum, as is their language and culture, food of the Tamils is also ancient and rich. As Tamilians say ‘variety is the spice of life’. Tamil Nadu lives it to the full in its mind-boggling, spicy and mouth- watering cuisine of main dishes, side dishes and desserts. These are to be tasted to be believed.

FOOD ITEMS IN CHOLANADU

Food was an immense part of life for the Cholas, it had moved away from nourishment, and was somewhat to be savoured. They were a culture of loving alcohol and good food. Feasts terrified by kings ended with a happy, drunk public, and included meat, fruit and liquor that was “strong like an infuriated snake”.

While working on Empire, my historical novel set in the time of Rajendra Chola, some of the most fun I had was while writing about the food. The story mainly centres in the 11th-century port of Nagapattinam. It was a city that had street food with abundance of varieties, from duck eggs and goat meat cooked out in the open area to more varied options which includes roasted nuts, sweet jaggery rolls, rice cakes and crackers. The heroine Aremis, for instance, can often be found walking the city munching something roasted peanuts with a sprinkling of fresh coconut, millet and jaggery toffee made with sea water, or spiced guava and jamun.

Food is never just food; the Cholas knew that very well. The peripatetic poets of the Chola Empire often were provoked into households for a meal, and they used that occasion to make friends and study the local culture. In the places they visited, constituents were diffident but exotic: meat from ‘short-

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legged’ boars or porcupine, as well as forest fruit and vegetables like bamboo, elephant foot yam, jackfruit and jamun.

SPICES AND CONDIMENTS

Salt was not regular in the early Vedic periods. Not only was it a infrequency but also students and widows were not allowed to eat it. Newlyweds had to abstain from salt for the first three days after their marriage. Salt was obtained from lakes, rivers, sea, swamps and mines, was mixed with milk, curd or flour and consumed.

Though there are no clear leads on what accurately was the Soma plant. While drinking Soma was praised, Sura was censured. Sura, was an stimulating liquor made from fermented barley or wild paddy and was addicted more by the Kshatriyas, but there were kings like Asvapati, who proudly affirmed that there were no drunkards in his monarchy. Parisruta was arranged from flowers or by fermenting definite grasses and Kilala was a sweet drink made of cereals. Masara, one more drink was made of rice and spices, permitted to ferment for three days. Water was rightly called amrta or nectar.

SUGGESTIVE RECOMMENDATIONS

In the light of the above foregoing discussion on food in TamilNadu the researcher recommended certain suggestive measures.

 To keep the longstanding heritage of food items in Tamil Nadu, ministry of food and civil supplies of Central and State Governments must come forward to create awareness among the public about the enrichment and most diet full millet and other cereal varieties must be popularized.  From ‘A’ class hotels to roadside eaterers proper initiatives must be followed to supply the most traditional varieties.  South Indian food items like Uthappam, Idly, Thakkali Chutney with Sambar must be served to the foreign delicates as well as foreigners who have visited in our local Tamil Nadu.  One more interesting point suggested by the researcher is that a research oriented task must be made by the catering institutes, universities, hotel research bureau must be come forward to popularize this south Indian food.  Similarly, awareness must be created among the youngsters in consuming Nellai Saivva Sapadu instead of Junk foods which is harmful to the future generations.

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 Each and every part of Tamil Nadu has its own traditional food items like Chettinadu Sukka, Thakkali Rasam of Coimbatore, Erode Idly, Fish Curry of Kanyakumari and Thanjavur vegetarian food items must be popularized in the Government run Exhibitions and Expo’s.  Along with the lines of Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, steps must be taken to ensure the supply of most popular items to the international tourists who have visited Tamil Nadu in the tourism seasons.  The Kashyapa Samhiti (200 BC) has detailed accounts of every aspect of rice cultivation: sowing, irrigation, seed transplanting, weeding, watering, protection from birds (using scarecrows), defense against vermin and finally threshing. Even conditions for second round of crops are elaborated. Methods that are followed to this day.  Vegetarianism was largest in India because of the absolute plenty of food available, even before the Vedic periods. Cereals, pulses, oilseeds, vegetables, fruits and milk flowed freely. Nowhere else in the world one saw this kind of abundance. Indeed the land of milk and honey!  Clay, wood, metal and stone were resources usually used in creating utensils. Leather vessels were used for storing liquids.  Practice of cleaning the mouth before and after eating was quite common.  Control in food utilization was advocated in those periods too. It was said that consumption of food only twice a day would make a person wise and intelligent. People fasted on the day of an offering.  Iniquity consequences of drinking was put in the group of sins, it was one of the seven sins beside with anger, senselessness and gambling.

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