IMPORTANCE OF TRADITIONAL FOOD SYSTEM

ABSTRACT

According to Indian Philosophy, Anna or food is an aspect of Brahman. It is a gift from Paramatma. So, it should be treated with great respect. The physical body is called AnnamayaKosha, i.e. food body, because body nourished and grows by absorbing the energies from food. Food should be eaten for the survival and strength of the body, but not for pleasure. Fasting is another aspect of traditional food system. It is meant to purify the mind and the body. These traditional food concepts have been changed drastically in our society because of our contemporary lifestyle. The various aspects of traditional food system has been recorded in ancient scriptures, literature and as well as in oral narratives of folk. We may find special food items and many dietary varieties in Karnataka. These varieties have a number of little used; uncommon vegetables with perceived health benefits. Key traditional staple food and other food groups such as nuts, seeds, wild fruits and vegetables used in the diet are area specific. Traditional food system plays a significant role in maintaining the well-being and health of Indigenous People. Yet, evidence abounds showing that the traditional food base and knowledge of Indigenous People are being eroded. This has resulted in the use of fewer species, decreased dietary diversity due to household food insecurity and consequently poor health status. The knowledge of the traditional food system can change this scenario. Awareness created on traditional food system can contribute to create a healthy society to build strong nation. The traditional knowledge of food is considered to be the best for particular geographical condition. Changing food pattern can damage the good health of the society. So, it is vital to know the importance of good food habits of our own tradition and balanced diet. In this chapter, importance of traditional foods like staple, special, seasonal, region specific and their methods will be discussed.  

Key words: Tradition, food, nutrients,

Introduction

A food system which has a long tradition would never be changed immediately. Change of place, change of career would be the reasons for this to happen. Apart from these, political and historical reasons may also cause changes in a particular food system, thereby creating society’s health and total food insecurity. We can identify some of the important reasons for the change in traditionally developed food sequence.

In the recent times, the adverse impact of changed traditional food system is being seriously considered by all those whose are socially concerned. “The traditional vegetables and food means have become so facile to us during the last four centuries. Which means, generally, instead of our own food means we have more attached to the glamour of foreign commodities. Therefore, there is a shortage of means of vitamins which were naturally provided to the body through vegetables, green grass, seed, and spice materials”¹. This upholds the concern over the changed food system in our society and its impact. There have been constant efforts to gain attention towards changed traditional food system and also the impact of health and social problems caused by it. A research study has been conducted by National Botanical Research Institute on this subject. “Our hospitality during festivals and other special occasions had included the subtle thought of providing necessary vitamins, contented balanced food and shadrasas’ according to the seasons. It is true that, 400 years ago, before Europeans coming to us our food substances had been chosen according to our tastes. More importantly, there used to be wisdom as to adopting vitamins which had medicinal quality to protect health. But now, due to the influence of alien food habits, problems have been triggered causing shortage of vitamins required for the growth of the brain. Shortage of required vitamins in the development of the brain can be clearly seen in decreased creativity, quest for cogitation among Indian children.

But, the research shows that the attitude of the quest for cogitation remained firmly among 10 to 15% of citizens who have retained the old food system. Both World Food and Agriculture organizations have expressed more anxiety in this regard. Indispensable ingredients of our cooking such as neem, tamarind, pepper etc., have also become boring to us nowadays. Instant spices are available at the doorsteps! Besides, the vegetables that come from the other countries have become more recommendable than that are available in our own hometowns. Not only that, cool drinks, chips that have been rejected by the intelligent lot as junk foods in foreign countries have been liked most.

Apart from this, there is an increasing tendency of using processed food with artificial chemicals than naturally available food materials, directly gifted by the nature. Totally, the nutritious foods from this soil that is necessary for our new generation is not made available due to the changes in food culture.

According to our traditional knowledge, region and season specific foods which have been prepared by means of local fiber roots, roots, fruits, leafy vegetables, vegetables and grass are necessary for us².

This research does not stop here. Further, it provides caution against eating roasted, fried foodstuff. “Eating deeply fried eatables made out of potato and other such foods, containing glucose would lead to cancer due to the formation of acryl amide. China has taken an intelligent step on this issue. It has enacted a law way back in 1956 and made it mandatory to have good nutritious food available in the locality³.

There have been various reasons for the changes in food consumption methods. Maslow, an eminent scholar who studied the human mellowness has advocated a theory. It may be significant to mention here. He divides fundamental human needs into physical needs those are essential for leading life and those which require social dependency and self awareness. His doctrine advocates that if minimum satisfaction can’t be attained through necessary supply, human desire of searching for new things arises and that shall be the root cause for encouragement. Human beings turn towards others only when they can’t derive satisfaction from one. Generally these wants go up in the sequence of survival, security, dependency or shelter, prestige and self awareness. The process reverses when there is a dissatisfaction⁴.

Man eats any kind of food when his main desire is to survive. Food is the only ultimate immediate necessity of that moment. It is fundamental. After fulfilling this desire, there arises the necessity of security. When hunger arises, ensuring sufficient food is stocked, is the necessity of food security. Once economic condition is improved, the individual scales the necessity phases one by one. Man becomes nervous because of insecurity of food during natural disasters and devastating situations like wars.  Once the fundamental necessity of hunger and security desires are achieved, man can’t keep quite. Even regarding food, he starts contributing towards psychological necessity. Varieties in food, creating various tastes, making art out of that etc., come during the next phase.

There are so many reasons for the change in the food system. More important among them are ecology, science and technological advancement and economic conditions. Geographical condition alone plays an important role in the food system of a particular region. Some communities from some coastal regions in Uttara Kannada use more sea foods such as fish, crab, prawns etc. Vegetarian food is mandatory in Brahmin community. Though, non vegetarian food is prohibited among them, the Gowda Saraswat Brahmins use fish and other seafood. It is not prohibited in their community. They do not consider fish as non-vegetarian.  Apart from this all other non-vegetarian food is not accepted by them.

Science and Technology also contribute to changing of food habits. When there was no refrigerator, we can observe that folk groups gave more attention to protect easily perishable food items such as milk, vegetables and other such consumables. We can find that they had followed more procedures particularly for protecting such goods. Rules such as ‘don’t keep other food items with rice items, don’t touch other food without washing hands while you touch rice items, don’t keep non-vegetarian food items with the vegetarian items. These have been gradually vanished after the existence of the refrigerator.

Economic conditions also play an important role in changing the food system. Economically backward tribes such as Siddi community living in the Western Ghats of Karnataka do not have their own food systems. In situations like pay only money to get food, more importance has been given to money and basic needs of fulfilling hunger becomes more important. In such conditions it is very difficult for an economically backward community to retain its own traditional food system. These folks can only enjoy the traditional food on special occasions like festivals and other celebrations with great difficulty.

Food system has also undergone changes due to the impact of urbanization. If you consider Bangalore, from Meck’s chiken to Masala Dosa, Afghan roti to jowar roti, pure Dravidian puliyogare to Humas of the Middle East, everything is available here⁵. Many people, even if they are not hungry, want to taste food for mere enjoyment. It depends on the individual’s appetite. Hotels and food avenues in metros sell varieties depending on the individual tastes of those who have money. Other matters pertaining to food are not important for such food industry.

People from all regions do live in metros. Because of geographical reason, it may not be possible to prepare traditional food for all due to non availability of means of their food. So hotels and food avenues strive to attract such consumers. Thus, in Bangalore traditional food courts providing North Karnataka region specific foods such as jowar roti, brinjal salad, varieties of chilly powders, ball meals, sambar prepared by various grass, sprouted seeds, have gained more demand. Previously, ball meals were not made available in hotels. But now it has a special place in the menus of all food avenues starting from fast food stalls to five star hotels. Donne biryani, kheema, pork, Maratha style, Hyderabad style, sea foods of Karavali and so on… there is no end for tasty food in Bangalore⁶.

Fast food has become an inevitable part of the hectic lifestyle of metros. It provides for the immediate need of appetite but at the same time aggravates the worry of health care.

The variety of traditional food systems in India speak about the richness of the food availability here. As foreign attacks have its own impact on the land, it has also affected local people’s behavior, thought and food. Many foreign groceries, vegetables started growing in India. How brinjal of Southern America, guava, chayote, jowar, chilly etc. became popular here, how they got a place in the native food and medicines, gradually, what were the social, political reasons behind them etc. have been mentioned in detail with pictorial description by Mr. B.G.L. Swamy in his book “Namma Hotteyalli Dakshina America”⁷. (South America in our stomach).

Historian Will Durant documents that all regions here had richness of food till Britishers came to India⁸. “Till 1757, whoever may have ruled India; there had been no deficiency of food grains delivery to the people even for a year. Later resources of India had been looted like anything and even if the total of it would have been invested in India, it could have been 4000crore dollars! India, once, one of the richest countries, had become a very poor country because of their loot. As a result, India faced terrible famines frequently, which were never heard in its history or globally, Durant documented with proofs. Before the British how India was self sufficient in food security and through that formed its own cultural resources would be learnt by his descriptions. After one or two centuries how it became poorer could be clearly felt”.

This inscription effectively brings outs how political stands play a major role in food fortification and how food poverty makes total society, culture and whole civilization suffer poverty.

Food security has become a major problem for administration during post independent days. Agriculture had been given much importance in five year plans and initiatives to fight against hunger and achieving security started through Green Revolution, White Revolution. Many researches, studies have been undertaken and still have been continuing^9-10. All these have thrown light on the present scenario of food and related challenges in India.

To achieve food security for all has become the national aim since 1947. Towards achieving this goal the government has undertaken programmes such as Rastreeya Krishi Vikas Yojana( Rs.25,000 crore), National Food Security Programme (Rs. 6000 crore), National Horticulture programmes (in which Rs.22,000 crore has not been utilized still).

However, the food grain production witnessed 0.11% growth every year since 1891 to 1946 and goods produced other than food witnessed yearly growth of 1.37%. But this ratio was not enough to meet the demands of rapidly increasing population. Because of this reason food deficiency highlighted in the nation. In recent years, the concept of food security has witnessed many quantitative changes. In olden days, the system that provided people with minimum food grains that were available physically used to be considered as food security¹¹. Food security has been described in the following manner:

“Providing necessary food throughout the year, physically and economically for all people, for productive and healthy life is called food security”, said the World Bank way back in 1986.¹²

“Food security means availability of food to all people of the world without the deficiency of nutrients and capacity to harmonize with the use of nature based means: effective and availability of food  produced at a very low cost”, declared the International Food Regulatory Research Organization in the year 2002.

This statement efficiently advocates the importance and necessity of traditional food system.

End Note:

1.    Eshwar Daitota, Sooji Mallige, Aronada, Bangalore, 2010, P.10.

2.    –ibid, P.62-63.

3.    –ibid.

4.     Maslow A H, Motivation and Personality, Harper & Row, New York, 1954

5.    Vijaya Next, Kannada Weekly, December 3-9, 2010, P.4.

6.    –ibid.

7.     Swamy B.G.L, Namma Hotteyalli Dakshina Amerika, Bangalore University, 1991.

8.    Will Durant, The Case for India, Shivanna Dodda Hanumantayya (trans), Muttajjana Bhavya Bharata, Stand Book Stall, Bangalore,2009

9.    Yojana, A Development Monthly Magazine, Food Security, Special issue, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, October 2010.

10.    Yojana, A Development Monthly Magazine, Indian Agriculture at the deciding stage, Special issue, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, January 2011.

11. Yojana, A Development Monthly Magazine, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, October 2010, Pg-6

12.    -ibid.