History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c26.s3.t3.1

v1.c26.s3.t3.1

Parching : Even the Rgveda mentions dhanāh, which is beaten or parched barley, as well as saktu (the present sattu), which is the gritty brokens derived initially from parched barley grains, and later from rice (Prakash, Om, 1961, pp. 7-33). In the early stages, these grits were eaten as a solid ball (pindi), or as a paste (avalehika), but by the time of Suśruta, saktus were being blended before consumption with acid fruits, grapes, ghee, sugar, guda and dilute honey (Prakash, Om, 1961, pp. 7-33). Parching of sprouted barley is recorded by Caraka, who also lists a variety of parched pulses (called ulumbah) like mung, masoor and mattar under the common name bhristadhanya. Other Sanskrit words for parching are lajah, prthuka and cipita (Gode, 1948, p. 43); the last of these persists in civda or cidva, the fried and spiced snack made from parched rice. Cūra is the current term for beaten rice.