Why Indians eat with their Hands
If you’re not an Indian, then you may have at some time wondered why Indians eat with their hands and not with forks and spoons. Though these days, forks and spoons are a common sight in
Ask any Indian, and he will say that in order to completely enjoy Indian food, it must be eaten with the hands. Moreover, Indian foods are designed to be eaten with hands. The method that Indians follow when eating such foods, is to break the bread, dip it in one of the condiments, - vegetable curry or chutney - and eat it. Rice is customarily blended with curries so that each mouthful is unique. In the past, meals were served on banana leaves. Using forks or knives to blend curry and rice on banana leaves would have only ended up shredding the leaves. Eating with the fingers was definitely a better bet!”
Most Indians eat with their right hand because the left one is considered unclean. One thing that should be noted is that Indians eat only with the right hand. The left hand is considered unclean, and eating with it is frowned upon. However, when serving food or when passing a dish to someone else, it is the clean left hand that should be used.
There is a philosophy behind this Indian practice of eating with the fingers. In
So ask a bunch of Indians why they eat with their hands and they will tell you that Indian food tastes best when eaten with fingers!
Many Indians readily identify with the custom of eating food, especially at religious functions, off leaves. Banana leaves in the South of India are the most common examples. This account explains how Indians in
The Indian made his appearance in Trinidad, and indeed in the
The Indian Hindus brought their traditions with them from their homeland and adapted them to new circumstances in
These days, at a Hindu function, long tables with chairs or benches are lined up in a special area designated for feeding guests. Soharee leaves are placed before each person seated at the table. Servers come running in with paratha, another with rice and others with a variety of Indian curries. The whole exercise is one of thrill and excitement. There is no eating limit and guests can eat as much as they wish and even take some food home. Indian food is commonly cooked in a big bandara pot and a whole village can partake of the meal. There is a common belief that the food tastes sweeter when served on a Soharee leaf and eaten with hands, says medical anthropologist Dr Kumar Mahabir, who is also the Director of the Indo-Caribbean Cultural Council.
The Hindus in
In recent times Hindus who have migrated from Trinidad to
There was an incident it was reported many years ago, where a foreign visitor was served Indian food on a soharee leaf. He ate all the food and also devoured the leaf because he thought the leaf was part of the dish. After eating the soharee leaf, he said the salad was a bit stiff.
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