Hinduism's Dietary Laws
Rachel Navarrette-A block
Overview
DIETARY CODE
Vegetarian- all creatures of god are worthy of respect and compassion and killing animals is bad karma which prevents the people from joining the atman and achieving Moksha, therefore avoiding meat and flesh. Although not all Hindus are vegetarian and eat meats expect beef because cow means aghnaya (“Not be killed”).
Divide food based on the food effects of the body and temperament:
Tamasic:
leftover, spoiled, impure foods produce negative motions (greed, anger, jealousy)
Rajasic:
strong emotional qualities (meat, eggs, fish, spices, onions, garlic, hot peppers, pickles and other pungent or spicy foods)
Sattvic: purifying to the mind (fruits, nuts, whole grains and vegetables)
Practices:
Refuse to accept food unless it has been offered to god first
Before eating meal, sprinkle water on plate for purification
Five dishes of food set of the side of the table for devta runa (divine forces) for grace and protection
On a birthday, the cake with have “Happy Birthday” and “OM” and instead of candles, a lamp is lit to represent new life
Practice of Fasting
People wouldn’t eat at all, eat only once, or eat only certain foods on major holidays and festivals (holy days, new moon days). It was to let the digestive system have a break of eating so it can work correctly.
DINNER MENU
Lassi: a yogurt drink made with fruits or spices.
Papadum: thin, crisp disc-shaped made from a seasoned dough (black gram (urad flour)), fried or cooked with dry heat.
Chapati: unleavened flat bread.
SAMOSA
LASSI
CHAPATI
Bibliography
Works Cited
"Chapati." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 July 2014. Web. 08 Dec. 2014.
Chapati_warm_and_ready_to_be_eaten. Digital image. Wikimedia. N.p., n.d. Web.
"Food and Prasada." Heart of Hinduism:. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2014.
"Hindu Dietary Practices: Feeding the Body, Mind and Soul." Minority Nurse. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2014.
"Hinduism." Faith in Food. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2014.
Papadsbangalore. Digital image. Wikimedia. N.p., n.d. Web.
"Papadum." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 July 2014. Web. 08 Dec. 2014.
Plainlassi. Digital image. Wikimedia. N.p., n.d. Web.
"Samosa." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Aug. 2014. Web. 08 Dec. 2014.
SamosasIndia. Digital image. Wikimedia. N.p., n.d. Web.