Sustainable Food Tourism: Travelers, Tourists, Migrants and Their Food Habits - Indian Perspective Nusrat Yasmeen*
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International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Systems Volume 12 Issue 1 June 2019 ISSN: 0947-6250 (Print) ©Copyright IJHTS ® Exclusive Marketing Rights: Publishing India Group Sustainable Food Tourism: Travelers, Tourists, Migrants and Their Food Habits - Indian Perspective Nusrat Yasmeen* Abstract This paper based on the concept of time, space and context. In the pre-locomotive time the people had limited means of transportation. One had to depend on the food available in the region (space) in the context of travelling tourism and hospitality. India had long tradition of heritage and culture to respect and welcome guests. Cuisine and culinary is a major part to entertain tourists guests. Partly it also throws light on etiquette and manners of dastarkhwan (table manners). This research paper focuses on how travelling tourists and migrants who came to India sustained and acclimatize in a different culinary and cuisine world and how with a passage of time the descendants of these settled people changed their cuisine world view & indianized themselves. This study will help both academicians and professionals to prepare new dishes with assimilation of imported and indigenous verities of recipes. Keywords: Chapati, Fuqqa, Halwa, Khichri, Samosa INTRODUCTION this paper we shall see how the travelers-cum-tourists and migrants who came to India sustained themselves with Geographical and nature based conditions determine the the different kinds of food. Before coming to this aspect, food habits of the people of a region. Second factor is also one should keep in mind that in the pre-modern time, important i.e. availability of food in the region. There are transportation of goods was almost negligible and perishable other factors like religion and material interests but these goods were not transported. Therefore, there was no choice are manmade and secondary. For better understanding the and they had to sustain themselves with the locally available above points, broadly let’s illustrate the above statements food. with examples: Europeans being from cold climate are non-vegetarians. Arabs from the desert had no sufficient DISCUSSIONS agricultural product therefore depended on livestock meal. In case of secondary factors, religion and faiths also played an important role in determination of food habits. In case of How India Sustained and Acclimatize in India, initially people were non-vegetarians and had all sorts a Different Culinary and Cuisine? of meat, (Jha, 2001) but with a passage of time owing to their faith many of them turned to be vegetarians. Besides faith, There are some interesting insights furnished by the travelers material interests also had an important factor and cow was and they were both tourists and migrants. They were tourists given a sacred place in the animal stock. It was considered because they were curious to know about the different aspects a source of livelihood. Hence the people began to revere the of Indian culture and they were migrants in a sense, that cow. However, Indians as well as many other who came to some of them settled here with different reasons. Keeping India in different capacities had variety of food habits. In these points in mind we proceed to peep into the travelogues * Assistant Professor, Department of Tourism, Hotel, Hospitality and Heritage Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India. Email: [email protected] Nusrat Yasmeen 95 and contemporary literature in which we find the evidences are brought gold, silver and glass cups filled with fine sugar, of our interests. water perfumed with rose-water which they called sherbet. After they have taken the sherbet the chamberlain calls out Now a days, Ibn-Battuta, a traveler of the fourteenth century bismillah (begin with the name of God). They all begin to is popularly remembered after a song Ibn-Battuta bagal- eat. At the end of the dinner jugs of barley drink (fuqqa) are mein-juta (i.e. Ibn Battuta having shoes in armpits), in the brought; and when these have been consumed betel-leaves filmIshqiya (2010). It shows Battuta’s interests in travelling and nuts are served. After the people have taken the betel and tourism and outlook of the people of present time and nut, the chamberlain calls out bismillah, whereupon all towards their increasing interests in tourism. However, he stand up and bown in the same way as before. Then they started his journey from his native country Morocco (Africa) retire.” and toured from different regions and civilizations of Arab peninsula, Iraq, Iran and North-West of India and reached Particularly Chapatti, Parantha, Samosa and Pan were the capital city Delhi. From here he travelled to South India and part of Indian menus and it continues to be today. Bread used after visiting some Islands and China, he went back to his to be an important part of Indian meal. As per Ibn-Battuta’s native destination and penned down a book known as Rehla words that service of Indian meal begins with “very thin (Travelling). However this book covers a vast region and bread”. (Battuta, p.15). Abul Fazl (16th century) specifically throws light on customs, rituals and their way of life. Here calls it chapatti and it had become a part of Mughal kitchen. we are interested in the cuisine and culinary information In addition to other kinds of bread, he says, “he makes also furnished in the Rehla. smaller once, the thin kind is backed on iron plate. One ser will give fifteen or even more. There are various ways of First cuisine and culinary information which he witnessed making it; one kind is called chapati, which is sometimes after entering into Indian sub continent is the following. A made khushka; it tastes very well when served hot”. (Ain, foreign dignitary Qimamuddin, Qazi of Tirmiz (Uzbekistan) tr. I, p. 64). In Ni’matnama also recipes of different kinds reached India and on border, he was received by Indian of bread are given and a simple kind one is also known as officials and made arrangements for meals. Twenty cooks chapati. It suggests that chapati had become a part of the were taken by the Indian officials. One of the feasts was elite ruling people. British Traveller Edward Trerry (1616- attended by Battuta. He sheds light on the menu and the table 19 AD) visiting India praised Indian Wheat better, saying manners and the meal in which order it was served to the ,”bigger and more white; of which the inhabitants make such foreign guests. He writes, “As for me, I attended it only once pure well relished bread that I may speak that of it which one and the order in which meal is served is this: to begin with, said, “a super bread”. The common people make their bread leaves mere served which are very thin and resemble cakes up in cakes, and make it on small iron hearths, of them in of bread, the they cut the roasted meat into large pieces in their tents”. (Early Travel in India, p.296). such a manner that one sheep yields from four to six pieces. One piece is served before each man. Also they make sand In addition to this bread Ibn Battuta pointed out the sweet cakes of bread soaked in ghee, resembling the bread called Parantha in the following words,” Also they (Indians) mushrak in our country; and in the midst of these they place make round cakes of bread soaked in ghee…… and in the the sweet called sabunia. On every piece of bread is placed midst of these they place the sweet called sabunia (mixture a sweet cake called khishti which means ‘brick like’–a of almonds ,honey and sesame oil). (Battuta, pp. 15-16). preparation of flour, sugar and ghee. Then they serve meat However, Bernier says about the bread available in the cooked in ghee, onion and green ginger in China dishes. bazaar of Delhi, ‘is often badly baked and full of sand and Then is brought a thing called samosa (samusak) minced dust.’ meat cooked with almond, walnut, pistachios, onion and Where it is not out of context to point out that nowadays spices placed inside a thin bread and fried in ghee. In front Samosa in the form as described by Battuta is not served in of every person are placed from four to five of suchsamosa . the main meal and now it is a part of snacks and has been Then is brought a dish of rice cooked in ghee on the top of Indianized by stuffing with potatoes and other vegetables. which is a roasted fowl. And next is brought the luqaimat- Sweet samosa is prepared stuffing with Khoya (dried thick ul-qazi which is called hashmi. Then is brought al-qahiriya. milk) and put it in Chashni (thick syrup made with sugar). Before the dinner begins the chamberlain stands at the head The following miniature containing in the Ni’matnama (15th of the dinner carpet (simāt) and performs the bow (khidmat) century) shows the process of making with ingredients. in the direction of the Sultan; and all present do the same. Thus, it suggests by the time of 15th century samosa had The khidmat in India consists in bowing down to the knee become an popular part of Indian cuisines. as in prayer. After this the people sit down to eat; and then 96 Sustainable Food Tourism: Travelers, Tourists, Migrants and Their Food Habits - Indian Perspective of Fluxes, the prevailing Distempers of India. Early in the morning, Or late at Night, they seldom esteem it too cool for their stomachs and Nocturnal Delights.” Pickles preparation and eating was a part of Indian menus. Mango pickle was one of them.