Food - How much food? When to take?

Author: தோழி / Labels:

As in this series of ‘ancient Tamils and food habits’, so far we have seen about food histories, features, tastes and characteristics and its effect on human beings. However, Siththars gave us the details about: how to take food? when to have food? what are all the foods to be taken? how to treat food as medicine and medicine as food?

Our ancestors strictly followed all the above food habits in their day to day life till the foreign incursion. 

Nowadays with the idea of globalization, it is really distressing that we almost forgot all our rooted habits. In this account, I would like to share some of those forgotten conventions in the upcoming posts. Hence, in today’s post, we will see about the how many time we have to intake food on average per day? And also about the time period for food intake..

Siththar Theraaiyar quoted that two meals per day is highly sufficient. His quote is taken from “Pathaartha Kuna Sinthaamani” which is as follows:

தன்மமி ரண்டேயூண் டப்பிமுக்காற் கொள்ளினினன்
thanmami randaeyoon dappimukkaar kollininan
சின்மதலை காளைகடல் சேர்பருவ-தன்மூகுர்த்த
sinmathalai kaalaikadal saerparuva-thanmookurththa
மொன்றுக்கு ணானகுக்கு ளோதுமிரண் டுக்குளுண்பர்
montrukku naanakukku loathumiran dukkulunpar
நன்றுக்குத் தீயோர் நயந்து
nanrukkuth theeyoar nayanthu

Intake of food in two time slot is generally good for health. In addition to this, if anyone wants to have another meals would start their first meal on a day within 1½ hour from sunrise, Then, the second meal within 6 hour from sunrise and final/third meal within 3 hour from sunset time.  Violating this food habit is generally bad for health.

மூன்றுநான் காறெண்மு கூர்த்தங் களின்முறையே
moonrunaan kaarenmu koorththang kalinmuraiyae
ஞான்றுளுண்ணு மந்த நறுமுணவே-தோன்றுடலுக்
njaanrulunnu mantha narumunavae –thoanrudaluk
கொக்குமித நோயரமு ரோகமுயிர்க் கந்தரஞ்செய்
kokkumitha noayaramu roakamuyirk kantharanjei
விக்குமித மாராய்ந்து விள்
vikkumitha maraainthu vil

Food will cause slight disease if taken within 4 hours from sunrise. If food taken after 6 hours from sunrise, it will cause diseases. If food taken after 3 hours from sunset, it will lead to deadly diseases.

The above noted view of Siththar Theraiyar should be taken under technical research. However, our ancestors followed the above food habits and lived a healthy life.

Let us see about, how to eat food in upcoming post.

Original – www.siththarkal.com
Translated by Lalithambika Rajasekaran


Food types - Thamasa food

Author: தோழி / Labels:

We inferred from our ancestors that, the intaen food of a person solely determines that person’s character. Hence, three different characters are correlated to three types of foods and we have already seen the first two in previous posts. In that series, we are going to see about thamasa food in today’s post.

Let us first see about what is thamasa food? And its characteristics as follows:

Uncontrolled anger, uncontrolled lust, more sleep, vigorous idiocy, instability are the inherent characteristics of thamasa food intakers.

People with the above characteristics are arrogant, madly short tempered, cannot think and judge equally and mostly they will be slave to senses and do silly crimes.

Even our modern science, after various researches accept the fact that the foods plays major role in one’s character and behavior. From the list of foods distinguished under three types, we perceive the type we intaken so far and the character  it imbibes in us, which might lead to personal character upgradation. 

Following are the list of food products characterized under thamasa:

1. Onion
2. White Garlic
3. Drumstick leaf
4. Pasalai leaf
5. Kalavai keerai
6. Aarai keerai
7. Siru keerai
8. Potato
9. Peruvalli kizhangu
10. Radish
11. Siruvalli kizhangu
12. Maravalli kizhangu
13. Drumstick
14. Peerkkai
15. Sword bean
16. Mochai
17. Bottle guard
18. Avarai (a type of bean)
19. Horse gram
20. Red cholam
21. Black cholam
22. Green peas
23. Black-eyed peas
24. Kambu (Pearl millet)
25.Varaku (Kodo millet)
26. Raagi (Finger millet)
27. Boiled rice
28. Brinjal
29. Drumstick flower
30. Eechavellam (Jaggery from Phnix dactoeylifera)
31. Panaivellam (Jaggery from Palmyra)
32. Palmyra candy
33. Kal types (liquour from coconut, palm like trees)
34. Unripen palm fruit
35. Castor oil
36. Paruppu keerai (Chenopodium album)
37. Pulicha keerai (Hibiscus cannabinus)
38. Kaasini keerai
39. Palm fruit
40. Custard apple
41. Pannaik keerai
42. Cashew fruit
43. Buffalo milk
44. Buffalo curd
45. Buffalo butter
46. Buffalo ghee

Till now, we have seen about the ancient Tamilians food habits, types of foods and its character imbibing qualities.

In future, we will see about how to intake these foods and also about its merits and demerits according to Siththar’s view.

Stay tuned!!

Original – www.siththarkal.com
Translated by Lalithambika Rajasekaran


Food types – Rajo food

Author: தோழி / Labels:

Our ancestors distinguished the food into three types based on their characteristics. Among the three, we have already seen the first type (satvika food) in previous post. On continuation, we are going to see about rajo food types.

Rajo food will imbibe following list of characteristics on continual intake. The characteristics expected are; briskness, vigour, physical strength, self fanaticism, over confidence, brute force, lust, jealous, anger, psychological outburst, temporal instability, dynamic, enthusiastic and also have a feel of accomplishing any task.

Moreover, the people and society with zeal, supremacy and with aim of achieving something were having this rajo mentality.

Alright!! What are all the foods belong to this rajo group?

Our ancestors differentiated it very well.

Rajo foods:

1. Green chillies
2. Oosi Milakaai (Needle chillies)
3. Unripe lemon
4. Riped lemon
5. Tamarind
6. Fig fruit
7. Aavaram flower
8. Banana flower
9. Aru keerai
10. Red pumpkin leaf
11. Pudhina (Mint)
12. Paara vetrilai (Beetle leaf)
13. Maahali kizhangu
14. Kaara karunai kizhangu
15. Kotti kizhangu
16. Karunai kizhangu
17. Lotus rhizome
18. Siru kizhangu
19. Kalippaakku
20. Mustard oil
21. Milk from buck (vellaadu)
22. Curd from buck
23. Oil from buck
24. Ghee from buck
25. Omum
26. Poppy seed
27. Mixed ghee
28. White pumbkin
29. Red pumpkin
30. Pig snake guard
31. Ladys finger
32.  Snake guard
33. Black cumin
34. Kaattu seeragam
35. Pirappu seeragam
36. Cloves
37. Lavanga pattai
38. Appalak kaaram
39.  Table salt
40. Tamarind
41. Chillies
42. Naai kaduku (A type of mustard seed)
43. Red mustard
44. Small mustard 
45. White mustard
46. Coriander seed
47. Curcuma aromatica
48. Musk
49. Turmeric
50. Cashew nuts
51. Manila
52. Sagital
53. Red gram
54. Pineapple
55. Pomegranate
56. Komati maadhulai (A type of pomegranate)
57. All other food with the feel of hot or alkaline taste in tongue comes under this rajo food category.

All these above listed foods imbibe briskness and acuteness on inhaling persons which provoke and control the feelings of earthly peoples.

Well!! We can see about thamasa foods in upcoming posts.

Original – www.siththarkal.com
Translated by Lalithambika Rajasekaran


Food types – Satvika food

Author: தோழி / Labels:

Food is highly essential to live. The type of food intaken also determines the character of humans. This character is reflecting in our thoughts, intellect and actions and altogether combinely reflects the living strategy, culture and tradition of human community.

In previous post, we so far discussed that our ancestors distinguished food into  3 types based on their basic character. In this regard, let us see about the satvika food type in this series.

As we all well aware of proverb, ‘too much of anything is good for nothing’.

If the quality, taste and quantity of food are in balance and mediocre, then we can say that food as sathvika food. This food is the basis for giving following good characters in human; serenity, ahimsa (not disturbing other life), being true, austerity, devotion, grace, forgiveness, satisfaction, discipline, not being robber, no back bitting, poise and being happy always. We humans used to get these above characters on eating this satvika type food regularly.

Siththars, yogis, saints, and meditation practitioners used to guide human to intake this type of food.

Food from animals:

1. Pure milk from cow
2. Pure curd from cow
3. Pure butter from cow
4. Pure ghee from cow.

Oil types:

5. Sesame oil
6. Illupai oil (Oil of Bassia longifolia)
7. Coconut oil
8. Pure honey

Crop types:

9. Raw date
10. Date fruit
11. Almond seed
12. Dried coconut
13. Raw edible camphor
14. Saffron flower (Pure)
15. Nutmeg
16. Mace
17. Grapes
18. Aelarisi (type of rice)
19. Sugar-candy
20. Raw brown sugar
21. Jaggery
22. Dried ginger
23. Pepper
24. Long pepper
25. Fenugreek seed
26. Sesame seed
27. Black gram
28. Rice flake
29. Puffed rice
30. Green gram
31. Millets
32. Ginger
33. Tail pepper
34. White pepper
35. Cumin seeds
36. Wheat
37. Barley
38. Raw rice
39. Seeraka samba (edible rice variety)
40. Milaku samba (edible rice variety)
41. Kaar arisi (edible rice variety)
42. Kunrimani samba (edible rice variety)

Vegetables and fruits:

1. Banana fruit (in banana, poovan variety alone is considered to be very good)
2. Monthan banana
3. Pachchai naadan banana
4. Paeyan banana
5. Rasthaali banana
6. Sevvaazhai banana
7. Ven vaazhai banana
8. Malai vaazhai banana  
9. Navarai vaazhai banana
10. Adukku vaazhai banana 
11. Karu vaazhai banana
12. Coleus aromaticos 
13. Tender coconut
14. Rose water
15. Thaalam neer
16. Lotus water
17. Mango (full of nutrients)
18. Guava fruit
19. Jaathi naarthai fruit (variety of citrus)
20. Kozhinji naarthai fruit
21. Kichili fruit 
22. Naartham fruit
23. Black plum
24. Jack fruit
25. Mulai keerai (type of spinach)
26. Manaththakkaali keerai (Black night shade greens)
27. Ponnaam kanni keerai (Alternanthera sessilis)
28. Corainder leafs
29. Fenugreek leafs
30. Chakravarthy keerai
31. Akathi keerai Sesbania grandiflora
32. Akathi flower
33. Neem flower
34. Pasu munnai
35. Poan musuttai
36. Musuttai
37. Curry leaf
38. Thoothulai leaf
39. Vajravalli /pirandai (Cissus quadrangularis)
40. Stem of greens
41. Banana stem
42. Red spinach stem
43. Stem of white spinach
44. Saepanthandu (stem of colocasia)
45. Colocasia
46. Rhizome of lotus
47. Tuber of sweet potato
48. Cococnut
49. Small amla
50. Amla
51. Solanum torvum
52. Cucumis melo var . melo
53. Mango (vegetable)
54. Karaikkaai
55. Jujuba
56. Cucumber
57. Kombu paakal (bitter gourd variety)
58. Mithi paakal – a bitter gourd variety
59. Jack vegetable (early stage of Jack fruit)
60. Mullu kaththirikaai
61. Wood apple
62. Naarthangaai – a citrus variety
63. Kadaara naarthangaai
64. Kozhinji naarthangaai
65. Manaththakkaali fruits
66. Malai sundaikaai

All the above listed food items are satvika type foods. On continuous intake of these above food gives the satvika characters.

Let us see the food items giving rajo character in upcoming post.

Stay tuned.

Original – www.siththarkal.com
Translated by Lalithambika Rajasekaran