Revisiting the Mughlai Taste : A Case of 'Indianisation' of Mughals through Indian Food and Culinary Practices

 

“You are what you eat” is the expression of the idea that food is intimately associated with conformity to a social group. Food in India is an identity marker of caste, religion, spatial affiliations, family, class, kin, ethnicity and the secular group identification [7]. In India, ‘Moral vegetarianism’ is seen par excellence with the ‘Barbaric non-vegetarian’ practices. Thus, it is imperative to analyse the intervening web of forces that classify certain culinary items as ethically edible for all while rendering other items  to be reserved for ‘some’ people which this paper makes an attempt at. The debate over Khichdi v/s Biryani reflects the contestation over arching and overlapping identities associated with foods which are often projected as distinguishable and mono identities. Thus, food as a political instrument has complemented the identity formation.

One such creators of our tapestry of history, Mughals, have been under the constant scathing attacks in the backdrop of the changing political discourse but one cannot deny the fact that Mughals were an integral and active participants in our Political, social, cultural and economic History. Though, the Mughal Political edifice has ceased to exist this day but it is in the cultural realms that they have ossified their presence for the time being and to come. Our paper is an attempt at brushing over the stereotypes associated with the Mughalai Cuisine that represents a classical example of the ‘Indianisation’ of the Mughals with the Indian Food and Culinary practices assimilated into their ‘high’ Turko-Persian Cultures.

 

INTRODUCTION

India does not have one culture but an agglomeration of many cultures worked out by the different participants in course of history. The current attempts at projecting India as having one and elitist culture through highlighting the sparkles of one culture by contrasting it with the matte of another culture is a blot on history. Mughals are projected as having amplified the non-vegetarian trend in a predominantly vegetarian country but here we fail to acknowledge that majority of Indians are (were) non vegetarians as eloquently highlighted by Prof. D.N. Jha.  The theme once again gained attention when the national Museum decided to chop off the non vegetarian food to be served at the ' Historical Gastronomica- the Indus dining experience'. For a food taboo to be precisely placed in a society, it is imperative to first recognise something as food first and then forbidding its consumption [8].

 David Kertzer about food thinks that ‘they are the actions wrapped in a web of symbolism’, similarly, the Mughal culinary traditions that evolved over time reflects the process of ‘Indianisation’ of the Mughals through food symbolism reflecting upon the same and adding Indian foods in the catalogue of their cuisine.

FOOD SYMBOLISM OF MUGHALS

The menu of Mughlai Food today in the modern Restaurants is embellished with rich, heavy, creamy food especially the meat of various kinds grilled with the hot and spicy masalas. But the major part of the culinary tradition of mughals followed today is largely based on popular myths as the key ingredients used in today’s food were not there during the reign of early Mughals for say, tomatoes,potatoes and  chillies as they were introduced in India by the Portuguese in the 18^th century. It is certainly not held that the current food has nothing to claim as a legacy of Mughal culinary tradition but many changes have come in the discourse; the Cuisine is as dynamic and ever changing [4]. 

Mughals have been demonised by taking the meat eating practice to its pinnacle during their reigns and the current association of the mughlai food with just the kebabs, biryanis,haleema, kormas being the main attraction. The story, however, is quite different, as the closer examination of the texts and sources reveal other side of the picture too. Babur, the founder of the Mughal edifice in India, came from Fargana, land in the central Asia lushed with Agricultural prospects acting as the breadbasket of Central Asia. His memoirs called Baburnama presents the most informal character of the ruler. For the Mughals, as Howard Kaplan [2] states, Fruits were an edible yardstick or parameter of civilization. Kaplan has also stated that these were not just the food items but a clear statement of who the Mughals were and what relationship they had with their Indian subjects. The Homesick Babur speaks high of the fruits of his homeland by acting as connoisseur. He considered melons of Kabul Tolerable and those of Ghazni abundant. He lamented the paucity of fruits in his new kingdom. To quote Babur : “there are no good horses, no good dogs, no grapes, muskmelons or first-rate fruits, no ice or cold water, no good bread or cooked food in the bazaars”. He was all tears when tasted one [11]. Early sections of Baburnama seem to be a consumer guide to the fruit markets of central Asia [6].  This reflects the closeness of Babur with his homeland.

Fruits for the mughals also served the role of an oracle. When Babur was preparing for his victory over Hindustan, he wished for Fruits confirming his victory over the land and when he received Mangoes preserved in Honey dispatched by Daulat Khan, he saw them as a positive sign and set out to conquer India [11]. There is also an incident cited by Bhardwaj [1] where when Mariyam Makani was impregnated with Akbar, she longed for pomegranates. Pomegranates were symbolic of prosperity as per Ajmad [5] and thus, Abul Fazl by recording such statement wanted to highlight the prosperity that was to usher with Akbar’s birth.

Historian Richard Foltz [9] maintains that Mughals being the direct descendants of Timurids claimed to be the champions of the High Persian culture and their taste in Food. But as the generations Passed and Mughals became ‘indianised’ or ‘native’ they developed a taste for India’s fruits and assimilated them into their political structure too. By the time of Jahangir because of his love for Mangoes, melons had to adjust and give space to mangoes onto the royal table. Jahangir’s love and sense of taste for Mangoes, an Indian fruit is highlighted through the excerpt from Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri :

“they sent Mangoes from all parts of the province of the Deccan, Burhanpur, Gujarat and the parganas of Malwa. Although this province is well known and celebrated for the sweetness, freedom from stringiness and the size of its mangoes ....... yet in the sweetness of water and delicious flavour and digestibility the mangoes of chapramau, are superior to all the mangoes of this province and of the places in India.” [10]

Food gifts were an instrument of diplomacy and establishing relationships. Fruits associated with sweetness were meant to signify the truce while the hunted meats signified intimate favour [4]. Thus, Babur’s love for melons of Samarqand signifies the love he had for his homeland whereas by the time of Jahangir, a cosmopolitan culture had developed taking in the cues from regional cultures with the emperors being a part of the process.

THE FOOD FUSION

Mughalai food is not just about the Kormas and biryanis rather foods which we consider to be purely Indian were as much a part of their culinary traditions but over the times these have been wiped out of our memory and even food items being drawn into communal separations. Khichdi which is now primarily thought of Indian food was much loved by them as well. Celebrated food historian, K.T. Achaya has talked about Jahangir’s fondness for a rich Gujarati type khichdi known as Lazeezan. He loved the food so much that it was his favourite go to food on his days of abstinence [14].during Akbar’s time it was called as Sufianah[   ] implying upon this simple food being linked to the abstinence and leading a simpler life. Even Aurangezb who is generally believed to be a fanatic with little or no concern for cultural element was fond of Alamgiri Khichdi, a spin off including fish and boiled eggs later as K.T. Achaya has quoted the traveller Tavernier that he gave up animal flesh all together living off on simple bread alone. Rajput princess with whom Akbar married off is believed to have introduced the famous rajasthani Panchmel dal into the mughal matbakh and it became such a big hit that by the time of Shahajahan, they had developed a separate recipe for Shahi Panchmel Dal [13].  The similar article also talks about how Aurangzeb fancied vegetarian food especially the Panchmel dal as mentioned before.

The cookbook Alwan-i- ni’mat composed during the reign of Aurangzeb includes recipes being named after prominent personage and one of the item listed is Shola-khichri-i-Jahangiri meaning shola khichdi of Jahangir style. It also mentions of the Khichri being prepared on Ashura, 10^th day of Muharram [3]. Though Auranzeb’s food habit is simple but he in one of his letter to son Mu’azzam mentions for the fondness on table evident from the excerpt from Ruka’at-i-Alamgiri:

“Exalted son, I remember the savour of your khichdi and biryani during the winter. Truely, the Kabuli cooked by Islam khan does not surpass them. I want to have from you Saliman who cooks biryani but you did not allow him to serve as my cook. If you happen to find a pupil of him, skilful in cookery, you will send him to me.” [12]

Humayun is known to have excluded animal flesh in his diet for some months when he started his campaign to recover the throne, and deciding after some reflection 'that beef was not a food for devout'. (15)

Shahanshah Akbar did not favour meat & consumed it occasionally ‘to conform to the sprit of the age'.(16)

While the Mughals got indianized, they were also influencing the taste buds of those who were the natives of Hindustan. The best example must be the food item of Paneer in this respect. Paneer is a Persian term popularised by the Mughals during their reign. The wide popularity that it enjoys among both the Indian as well as international consumers can be seen even today, when this versatile ingredient is used in multiple dishes like the Shahi Paneer, Karahi Paneer, Paneer Tikka, etc. Mughlai dishes are even being modernised in the present times to suit the needs of the people in this era of greater health-consciousness.

CONCLUSION

Food is as much a part of our culture and is intimately associated with The communitues and stimulate the identity formation. Today's mughlai food is a great manipulation as it was not just the today's cuisine emperors ate. It was a culmination of Indian and Persian gastronomics, a classical example of Indianization of mughals through food.

REFERENCES

1.     Bhardwaj, Anku (2015),’ Feast and Food Symbolism  in the Court Culture of Early Mughals (1506-1605 CE)’, Research J. Humanities and Social Studies, vol. 6, no. 4, DOI: 10.5958/2321-5828.2015.00034.0

2.     Kaplan, Howard (2012),’ Food For Thought: Melons, Mangoes and Mughals’, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian, weblog post, 12 October, < https://asia.si.edu/food-for-thought-melons-mangoes-and-mughals/#:~:text=Fruit%20served%20not%20only%20as,key%20indication%20of%20civilized%20culture.>

3.     Narayanan,Divya (2016),’ What Was Mughal Cuisine? Defining and Analysing a Culinary Culture’, Interdisziplinare Zeitschrift Fur Sudansienforschung, Vol. 1, 2016, pp. 1-30

4.     Narayanan,Divya (January,2015),’ Cultures of Food Gastronomy in Mughal and Post- Mughal India’, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11588/heidok.00019906

5.     Ajmad,Hassan (2005), ‘Pomegranate: Anatomy of the Divine Remedy’, pp. 45

6.     Foschini, Fabrizio (2011),’ Melons: Afghans riches at the Surface Level’, Afghanistan Analyst Network, weblog post, 15 December, < https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/en/reports/context-culture/melons-afghan-riches-at-the-surface-level/>

7.     Shrinivas, Tulasi ( 2011),’Exploring Indian Culture Through Food’, Association for Asian Studies, vol. 16:3: (Food, Culture and Asia), pp. 1

8.     Fischler, Claude (May,1998),’ Food, Self and Identity’, Social Science Information, DOI: 10.1177/053901888027002005, pp.8

9.     Foltz, Richard (1998),’ Cultural Contacts between Central Asia and Mughal India’,  Central Asiatic Journal, vol. 42, No. 1, pp. 44-65

10.  Jahangir, ‘ Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri’, Trans. Rogers, ed. Beveridge, Henry, pp. 377

11. Babur, ‘ The Babarnama in English (Memoirs of Babur), Trans. Beveridge A., vol. II, pp. 518 ,646 and 415-16

12. Alamgir, ‘ Ruka’at-i-Alamgiri’, Trans. Jamshedji Bimoria, 1980, Letter X, pp. 12

13. Hegde, Vinayak (2018), ‘Food Fit For Royalty: So What Did The Mughal Emperor Eat for Dinner?’, Mpositive.in, weblog post, retrieved 31 august,2018

14. Achaya, K.T (1994), ‘ Indian Food: A historical Companion’, Oxford University Press, Delhi, India, pp.144

15. J.S.Hoyland and, and S.banerjee , The Cemetery of Father Monserrate,, 1922

16.P.N. Chopra, Society and Culture in Mughal India,1963.

Authors :

Ridhi Parmar, Misa

2nd Year, History Hons. , Kirori Mal College.