Ebook: Feasts and fasts: a history of food in India

Introduction -- Climate, crops and prehistory -- The age of ritual, 1700-1100 BCE -- The renunciant tradition and vegetarianism, 1000-300 BCE -- Global India and the new orthodoxy, 300 BCE-500 CE -- New religious trends and movements : feasting and fasting, 500-1000 CE -- Food and Indian doctors, 600 BCE-600 CE -- The middle ages : the Manasolassa, Lokopakara and regional cuisines, 600-1300 CE -- The Delhi sultanate : Ni'matnama, Supa shastra and Ksemakutuhalam, 1300-1550 -- The Mughal dynasty and its successors, 1526-1857 -- The Europeans, the princes and their legacy, 1500-1947 -- An overview of Indian cuisine : the meal, cooking techniques and regional variations -- New trends in Indian food, 1947-present -- The food of the Indian diaspora.;"The second most populous country in the world after China and the seventh largest in area, India is unique among nations in its diversity of climates, languages, religions, tribes, customs and cuisines. Today, Indian food in its many incarnations has become a world cuisine. This reflects an increased awareness of the virtues of a traditional Indian diet, especially the centrality of fruits, vegetables and grains and the extensive use of spices, the benefits of which have been confirmed by modern science. India has always been part of the global economy. For thousands of years, the subcontinent was the centre of a vast network of land and sea trade routes - conduits for plants, ingredients, dishes and cooking techniques to and from the rest of the world. Foreign visitors have long marvelled at India's agricultural bounty, including its ancient indigenous plants, such as lentils, mangoes, turmeric and pepper, all of which have been central to the Indian diet for thousands of years. Yet what is it that makes Indian food so recognizably Indian, and how did it get that way? Feasts and Fasts: A History of Food in India is an exploration of Indian cuisine in the context of the country's religious, moral, social and philosophical development. It addresses topics such as dietary prescriptions and proscriptions, the origins of vegetarianism, culinary borrowings and innovations, the use of spices and the inseparable links between diet, health and medicine. It also looks at special foods for festivals, street foods and the splendour of Mughal feasts. This lavishly illustrated book gives a mouth-watering tour of India's regional cuisines, containing numerous recipes to interest and excite readers."--Publisher's website.