A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c46.13

v3.c46.13

Chapter one, by far the longest (499 verses), deals first with some general topics: the six kinds of food,²³ the importance of food in preventing diseases, the characteristics of a good cook, the eight faults (doṣa)²⁴ to be avoided in well-prepared rice dishes (1.23–56), and the right way of preparing various rice dishes, utkṛāṇodaka (meat broth), taharī,²⁵ and rice boiled in broth (māṃsaudana); this section ends with the prevention of the production of garala²⁶ (1.57–119). The chapter proceeds with the description of various varieties of sūpa²⁷ (1.121–141), temana²⁸ and khala,²⁹ dishes made of kulittha beans, and recipes for flavoured types of navanīta (fresh butter) and ghee (1.142–199). The remaining part of the chapter is devoted to dishes prepared with vegetables or fruits (1.200–497).