Food in Mauryan Period
largely depended on two seasons. While the winter season included rice and millet which
formed a major part of the Maurya Empire, the
summer season included wheat and
barley. Along with this Kautilya mentions
that there was a third crop that
was cultivated between these two seasons. This included ‘Munga’ and ‘Masa’.
With new crops it added to the stock of crops grown in Indian agriculture along with new food items. Overall this period too
followed the same style of food habits which included cereals, pulses, dairy products, meat and beverages.
ood in Mauryan Period
differed from its predecessors in a very limited way when it introduced some
more types of cereals which were popularly cultivated in ancient Mauryan
Empire. In case of Rice along with the old varieties of rice namely Vrihi,
Sali, Kodrava and Priyamgu, 2 new varieties of rice namely ‘Draka’ and ‘Varaka’
was introduced. Similarly 2 kinds of Barley was also introduce among which one
was cultivated while the other was not cultivated but commonly used in
preparing a mess, a gruel, groats and cakes. While Gruel was prepared with an
inferior food grains; Groats were eaten with curds.
Wheat occupied a more vital place among the cereals than in the previous
period, it being invariably mentioned with barley. Besides the old pulses, pea
was indeed popular. Soup was
indeed popular and known a Patanjali.
Food in Mauryan Period
further included large variety of dairy products. Besides cow’s milk, milk of
buffaloes, sheep and goat was also used. The Maurya Empire was equally
habituated in taking meat products as Arthashastra lays down specific role of the Superintendent of
Slaughter Houses. Along with meat, fresh fishes were taken as well as sweet of
Maurya Empire included honey and product of Sugarcane which further included juice of sugarcane, guda, raw
sugar, sugar-candy and refined sugar which were amiably popular.To know
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