Etiquette of Indian dining

This article is part of the series Indian cuisine

Regional cuisines

North India Awadhi - Punjabi – Mughlai Kashmiri – Sindhi Rajasthani – Uttar Pradeshi more..

South India Andhra – Karnataka – Kerala – Tamil Hyderabadi – Udupi – Mangalorean more..

East India Bengali – Oriya Bihari – Bhojpuri - Assamese

North-East India Meghalayan - Manipuri - Mizo Naga – Sikkimese – Tripuri Arunachalese

West India Goan – Gujarati – Marathi – Malvani & Konkani – Parsi

Other Indian Chinese - Nepali Jain (Satvika) – Anglo-Indian Chettinad – Fast food

Ingredients and types of food

Main dishes – Desserts – Bread Drinks – Snacks – Spices – Condiments

Preparation and cooking

Handi – Karahi – Tava – Uruli – Other

See also:

History – Etiquette Indian chefs – Cookbook: Cuisine of India

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As in many cultures, eating and drinking are important and widely respected parts of Indian culture, local customs, traditions, and religions. Proper table manners vary from culture to culture, although there are always a few basic rules that are important to follow. Etiquette should be observed when dining in any Indian household or restaurant, though the acceptable standards depend upon the situation.^[1][2]

Cutlery

Though Indian cooking uses an extensive array of specialized utensils for various purposes, Indians traditionally do not use cutlery for eating, as many foods - such as Indian breads and curry - are best enjoyed when eating with the hand. Indians usually give the following explanation for the practice of eating with hands: "Food is divine and needs to be enjoyed with touch, smell and taste. There is no joy in using a knife and fork to eat it."

Eating with one's hands is a technique that can be quite clean when done correctly, but may require a degree of practice. First, the hands must be thoroughly washed, with particular attention paid to the fingernails. Having long fingernails in India is considered unhygienic (with the exception of sadhus and other ascetics).

Using the fingers, the food should be scooped onto the flatbread (naan, roti, etc.) and quickly brought to the mouth. In North India, when eating curry, the gravy must not be allowed to stain your fingers—only the fingertips are used. When flatbreads such as chapati, roti, or naan are served with the meal, it is acceptable to use pieces of them to gather food and sop up gravies and curries. In South India, it is considered ill mannered to let your food stain the out side of your fingers or palm while eating and food is to be eaten only with the tip of the fingers, though popular belief is to think it is okay use more of your hand. In South India, the plate is not to be touched or held by the left hand while eating.

Not all Indian foods should be eaten with the hands, however. If the food is soupy, such as many daals, spoons should be used.^[3] Additionally, foods such as rice may be eaten with spoons in both North and South India, more so in case of formal occasions as in a restaurant or a buffet where food is not served on banana leaf.

Traditional Indian cutlery does not recognize the use of forks and knives while eating, limiting their use to the kitchen only. Spoons were made of wood in ancient times, evolving into metallic spoons during the advent of the use of the thali, the traditional dish on which Indian food is served. Additionally, spoons (usually two used in a clasping motion) and forks are commonly used to distribute foods from a communal dish, as it is considered rude to touch the foods of others.

Adapted cutlery use in India

Amongst upper class Indians, cutlery, which has been adopted since Roman influence in the 16th century^{[citation needed]} is now in common use; the Romans' exports of pepper lead to the introduction of cutlery in Asia. Amongst the upper class communities spoons and forks have been adopted.

Ushte

The concept of 'jutha' (in North India), 'ushtha' (in Western India), 'etho' (in Bengal), 'aitha' (in Orissa), 'echal' (in Tamil Nadu), 'echil' (in Kerala), 'enjulu' (in Karnataka), or 'engili' (in Andhra Pradesh) is a common belief in India. 'Jutha' is, essentially, something that has come in contact with your mouth, your saliva or your plate while eating - something that directly or indirectly came in contact with your saliva. It is considered extremely rude and unhygienic to offer someone your ‘jutha’. It is, however, not uncommon for spouses, or extremely close friends or family, to offer each other their 'jutha', and is not considered disrespectful under such circumstances. In fact, in some cases sharing 'jutha' may be thought as an indication of closeness.^[3]

Right hand

The cardinal rule of dining is to always use the right hand when eating or receiving food and never the left. The left hand is considered unclean. However, it is advisable to use the left hand if there are any cutlery for taking food from the dish onto your plate. In rare instances, the use of the left hand is acceptable only when eating onions and some other accompaniments. Moreover, in some communities, it is now acceptable for left-handed individuals to eat with their left hands.

Beef and pork

As Hindus consider the cattle to be a sacred animal, beef is considered taboo. Muslims consider the pig unclean and do not eat pork, which is not generally used in Hindu cooking. Therefore, restaurants in more conservative Indian states, do not include beef or pork dishes in their menu. On the other hand, beef is commonly available in the North-Eastern states and Kerala and in Goa, while pork is consumed in Goa, Karnataka and Kerala only by the Christian minority.

Other rules

In formal settings, it is expected that everyone will wait for the host or the eldest person - the elder taking priority over the host - to begin eating before everyone else starts. Similarly it is expected that one should not leave the table before the host or the eldest person have finished their food. It is also considered impolite to leave the table without taking the host's or the elder's permission. Everyone must wash their hands before sitting at the table as some Indian foods are eaten by hand. One must wash one's hands after eating the food. It is not necessary to taste each and every dish prepared; but you must finish everything on the plate as it is considered a respect for served food. For this reason, take only as much food on the plate as you can finish.

References