Application of Ayurveda in Cooking & Vegetarianism

The Ayurvedic cook derives his knowledge of herbs, spices, vegetables, legumes and so forth from the Ayurveda, which helps them maintain physical, mental, social and spiritual harmony.

Ayurvedic foods are appetizing, flavourful and aromatic and a way of offering love, becoming healing when served in an inspiring atmosphere. The cleansing of toxins that have entered the body and the electrochemical vitalising of the body are main objectives. Ayurvedic cooking thus is an art and a science at the same time, when cooking becomes alchemy and food becomes Tantra. 

The basic principles of Ayurvedic Cooking are : the five Elements, the three Doshas, the three Gunas, the seven Dathus and the six Tastes. It also attaches a lot of attention to the effect of the cooking method on the quality of the foods, the importance of the vibrations of the cook and of the surrounding atmosphere, the compatibility of foods, the right time for cooking and eating, the cycle of the seasons and the effects of foods on consciousness.

Also read the following :

• Why Vegetarian Diet!
• Comments on Western diet
• Cooked or raw food?
• Cooking without Tasting
• Cooking as Worship
• Food and Consciousness
• The 6 tastes in Ayurveda
• The three doshas
• The three gunas
• Digestability of foods
• Milk in a Vegetarian Diet

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The 6 tastes in Ayurveda

Ayurveda considers taste as a way not only to stimulate tastebuds, but a higher consciousness as well. The 6 tastes are a major way for the Ayurvedic cook to alter biochemistry on the level of the effect that the food has on the system before digestion. Other classifications of foods, dishes and tastes refer to the effects during and after digestion. That is represented through effects on the doshas and the gunas.

TASTE	ELEMENTS	VATA	PITTA	KAPHA	GUNAS
Sweet	Earth & Water	Subdued	Subdued	Increased	Sattvic
Sour	Earth & Fire	Subdued	Increased	Increased	Rajasic
Salty	Water and Fire	Subdued	Increased	Increased	Rajasic
Pungent	Air and Fire	Increased	Increased	Subdued	Rajasic Tamasic
Bitter	Air and Akash	Increased	Subdued	Subdued	Rajasic
Astringent	Air and Earth	Increased	Subdued	Subdued	Rajasic

Other important factors related to the 6 tastes tastes are the attributes (Gunas), Essence (Virya) and Effect (Vipak).

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