The traditional Jain cuisine is completely vegetarian and also excludes onions and garlic like the shojin-ryori cuisine of Japan. This is also called 'satvic' because onions and garlic are regarded to be tamasic.
The strict Jain cuisine also excludes potatoes and other root vegetables because when the root is pulled up, the whole plant dies. Followers of Jainism, called Jains, believe that every living thing has a soul that is in some stage of reincarnation, trapped in a cycle of birth and rebirth.[1]
Jainism takes non violence to a very strict level and respect life at any level including plant life. They make sure that their lifestyle does not cause injury to anyone. As a result of this the Jain diet consists of grains like wheat, rice, lentils or pulses and beans, oil-seeds are recommended as they fall under the category of non-injurious food. They are yielded only when their plants get dried of their own after their age ends. Fruits and vegetables that become ripe on the plants or branches of trees or those that fall on their own after becoming ripe, are used for food.
Jains are strict vegetarians and many also avoid root vegetables as it is violent to plants. They also avoid any liquor so they can live a mindful life. Other aspects of their food philosophy is that they regularly offer food to poor people, fast on certain days, do not waste any food, drink filtered water and eat after sunrise and before sunset (the reason to these last to things is to avoid eating -thus killing- an insect which may be over the food).
Jains are known to be people who do not eat most of the basic ingredients used in Indian cooking like onion or potato. In spite of this there are certain things which are a part of Jain Cuisine and are unique and truly amazing. Some of the most common are cooking up the fresh fruits like grapes and ripe mango with a little sweet and sour curry. Other example is cooking up the peel of the watermelon or simple papad. Both of these make very spicy, tangy gravy.
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