Sweetness in Indian Cuisine and Culture

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Sweetness in Indian Cuisine and Culture
Presented By DEEPTI GULATI Nutrition and Public
Health Consultant
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Our Sweet Start to Life

• What's life without a little sweetness?
• Sweets are integral to Indian way of life right
  from the time we are born
• As a newborn, we are welcomed into this world by
  a traditional prelacteal feed comprising honey or
  jaggery . even though the pre-lacteal feeds may
  be harmful and may lead to diarrhoea in the
  newborn.
• But in majority households, Prelacteals are
  considered essential to
• clean the stomach by aiding easy passage of
  stool,
• keep the babys mouth and throat moist,
• keep the body warm,
• promote rapid growth, and
• soothe the baby until the real milk arrives.

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Influences on Indian Cuisine

• Indian cuisine is a gift of its diversity of
• Religious beliefs and culture
• Cross-cultural interactions
• Colonization British, French and Portugese
• Topography of coastal areas, hilly areas and
  midland plains
• But one thing that is common in all cuisines is
  the Sweetness
• Gujarati, Maharashtrian and Rajasthani cuisine
  has a sweetness in all its dishes

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The Indian Cuisine

• While the Indian cuisine is characterized by a
  wide assortment of dishes and cooking techniques,
  reflecting the varied demography and ethnicity
  most desserts and special sweets are made with
• Milk and milk products,
• Grain / lentil flours,
• Rice and rice flour
• Jaggery and sugar
• Sesame seeds, cinnamon dried ginger
• Nuts and dry fruits
• Fruits etc.

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Sweetness Through Feasting and Fasting

• Festivities and celebrations are a fundamental
  part of every Indian's life.
• The celebrations that start from birth continue
  all through and Indians do not need a particular
  reason or a season to celebrate
• From January to December, every month comes with
  a particular fair or festival of one or the other
  region or religion.
• Festivals in India always revolve around food
  and sweets and all the feasting or fasting has
  its own special feast and sweets

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Our Variety in Sweets

• Indian meals are never complete without sweets,
  even if it may be
• mukhwas, paan or plain jaggery
• Indian sweets vary
• Festival-wise
• Region-wise
• In addition each home will have its
• own store of
• Fruits preserves, murraba, chutneys
• Beverages like thandai, lemon juice, aamras,
  panna, gudumba, fruit-based milkshakes, jaljeera
  sharbats, fruit squashes, rooh-afza etc.

Common ingredients milk, rice, yogurt,
gram-flour, wheat-flour, sesame seeds, nuts,
jaggery, sugar, dried ginger, ghee, rawa, lentils
and fruits
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Science of Sweetness

• Sweetness in Indian cuisine has a cultural
  dimension and a scientific rationale
• Season specific sweetmeats are made with
  ingredients considered important for health
• Sushruta Samhita, the ancient Ayurvedic text,
  dating back to 600 B.C. suggests that foods be
  varied in taste according to the season so that
  the use of correct foods in different seasons
  will presumably prevent diseases
• Summer sweets are milk and yoghurt based drinks
  and dishes flavored with almonds, cardamom etc.
• Winter sweets are energy-dense, usually made with
  grain flours, jaggery, nuts, sesame seeds, dried
  ginger etc. and cooked with ghee (clarified
  butter / oil)
• Jaggery and ghee are common to all traditional
  sweets

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Sweetness in Feasting and Fasting

• Common sweetmeats during the festivals and
  fasting are
• Laddus (til, boondi and sooji)
• Kheer, Paysam, Basundi
• Halwa of wheat flour, gram-flour, sooji,carrots
  etc.
• Gajak, rewari and other sweet bars made with
  sesame seeds, jaggery,
• Mango-shakes, thandai, aamras,
• Rasgulla, Gulab-jamun, Ras-malai, Barfi
• Mishti-doi, Shreekand, Ice-reams and Kulfis
• Cakes, Pastries etc.

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Nutritional Dimension of Sweetness

• Let us now review to look at the benefits of all
  the Sweetness in Indian Cuisine
• Jaggery
• Nutritionally, jaggery, a natural sweetener, is
  a storehouse of nutrients. It contains glucose
  and minerals like, calcium, iron, phosphorous,
  copper etc. and certain B-vitamins, thus giving
  it a tremendous nutritional and medicinal
  importance.

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Nutritional Dimension of Sweetness

• Sesame seeds
• These are an excellent source of copper and
  calcium, and a good source of manganese, iron,
  phosphorus, thiamin, zinc, vitamin E, protein and
  fiber. Thus, the Sesame or Til seeds
• Have a cholesterol-lowering effect,
• Protect the liver from oxidative damage and
• Enhance the immune response.
• High mineral content, in these seeds is helpful
  in
• reducing inflammation and pain caused by
  rheumatoid arthritis and
• providing strength and elasticity in blood
  vessels, bones and joints

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Nutritional Dimension of Sweetness

• Nuts and Dry Fruits
• These are rich sources of
• Energy
• Vitamins A, D and Riboflavin
• Minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus,
  and potassium
• These nutrients help to perform important
  physiological functions like
• nerve conduction,
• blood-clotting,
• maintenance of electrolyte balance within cells,
• maintenance of normal blood pressure

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Nutritional Dimension of Sweetness

• Ginger
• Dried Ginger is often added to winter sweets to
  add that special taste and flavour.
• This has great health value as
• It promotes the release of bile, thus aiding the
  digestion of fat-rich foods,
• Prevents dyspepsia and colic.
• It is also helpful in arthritis, and
• Is considered to have blood thinning and
  cholesterol lowering properties.

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Nutritional and Heath Dimensions of Fasting

• Most cultures and religions around the world have
  practised cleansing, fasting, and detoxification
  rituals for centuries.
• In almost all cultures and traditions common
  aspects of cleansing practices include
• elimination or restriction of certain foods and
  drinks for a designated period of time
• overall reduction of caloric intake
• inclusion of cleansing, healing, and sacred
  foods, plants, and herbs
• regular seasons or times for cleansing
• contemplative, religious, or spiritual
  observance and
• a desire and need to heal and restore body, mind,
  and spirit.

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Nutritional and Heath Dimensions of Fasting

• Every week, there is one or the other Fast and
  every six-months, there are Navratras.
• Fasts and Navratras often have religious
  dimension but there is strong nutritional and
  health rationale.
• The fasting body achieves complete physiological
  rest which allows the body to
• repair organs and structures.
• It is self-healing.
• It cleanses and excretes toxic chemical residue
  through the skin, urine, bowels, and mouth, thus
• ridding our bodies of diseased and degenerating
  tissues

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Nutritional and Heath Dimensions of Fasting

• Detoxification is a normal body process of
  eliminating or neutralizing toxins through the
  colon, liver, kidneys, lungs, lymph glands, and
  skin
• How does fasting help ?
• Detoxifying the body
• Preventing oxidative damage
• Building up the micronutrient stores, and
• Enhancing the immune response

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Nutritional and Heath Dimensions of Fasting

• Fasting is part of preventive health care for
  many ancient cultures.
• Foods recommended during fasting are
• Sweetmeats
• Fruits
• Fruit juices
• Vegetables
• Milk and milk products
• Nuts and dry fruits
• High water content of fruit flushes out the
  toxin much quicker, and sugars not only give the
  much needed energy, but will wash the system
  easier

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Nutritional and Heath Dimensions of Fasting

• Navratra fasts in March help people "lighten up"
  after a long winter, shed the extra winter fat
  layer that they acquired feasting on rich sweet
  and build their immune system to prevent diseases
  of the summer
• Navratra fasts in October prepare the body to
  cope with cough, cold and and other winter
  ailments

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Gastronomic delights ushering in the summer and
winter sweetness in Indian homes have rich
traditional wisdom and health benefits. So, enjoy
feasting on the sweetness, without getting
affected from seasonal or long-term ailments.
However, remember, Moderation in Sweetness is
the mantra of disease-free life !
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Thank you !!