Savoring the Sacred

Exploring India’s Religious Pluralism Through Foodways

How can we think deeply about the interplay of food and religion?

Food as community

Food as Diversity

Religious Diversity in India

Food as Complexity

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Legendary 10 oz. Burger • Famous the world over: topped with

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(From Menu )

Food as Complexity

Food as Complexity: The “Sacred” Cow

What do the sources say?

 1) “A Short History of the Sacred Cow” http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/things/cow.htm 2) “Hinduism's Sacred Animal” http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/holycow/hinduism.html 3) “Beef-Eating: Strangulating History” http://www.hindu.com/2001/08/14/stories/13140833.htm 4) “Beef-Eating in Vedas and Other Hindu Texts”

http://www.islamhinduism.com/hinduism/analysis/164-beef-eating-in-vedas-and-other-hindu-texts

  

Food as Complexity• Hinduism – largely vegetarian, no beef• Islam – beef OK, but no pork, added nuts,

raisins, and leavened bread• Jainism – no root vegetables, especially onions

and garlic, no alcohol, honey, or meat.• Buddhism – mostly vegetarian, meat OK if it

died of “natural causes” • Christianity – added baked goods, biscuits,

jam.A great and simple resource on Indian Food and Religion –http://www.indianetzone.com/37/religious_influence_on_indian_food_indian_cuisine.htm

Indian Food Complexity in Action • Dabbawallahs have

been collected and delivering home-cooked lunch tiffins to Mumbai workers for 120 years.

• 200,000 per day; only one mistake per million deliveries