Exploring Food, Culture, and Ayurveda Through Cooking

On Monday April 6th, our Hindi 102 class took a field trip to the kitchen inside the Duke chapel for a cooking class. We were joined by Priya Amaresh Ji, the Hindu Chaplain here at Duke to teach us about Ayurveda and cooking. Professor Kusum Knapczyk continues to find meaningful and fun ways to bring cultural understanding into our experience learning Hindi. During the session, we prepared mango rice, chana salad, and chai. Additionally, we had ripe mangoes and barfi for dessert. Alongside cooking, we were introduced to the Ayurveda. Ayurveda comes from two words: Ayur meaning "life" or "longevity," and Veda, meaning "knowledge" or "science". Together, it translates to "knowledge of life" or "science of life." We also discussed the Ayurvedic concept of Aahar, which emphasizes the importance of eating whole, natural foods to support physical and mental well-being. We also talked about the three doshas (Vata, Kapha, and Pitta) and how they represent different energies within the body. Vata represents air, Kapha represents earth/water, and Pitta represents fire. We were also able to map the dishes we were eating and ingredients we were using to the three doshas. Understanding these ideas added context to the ingredients and the dishes we were making, which made our cooking experience more intentional. Priya Ji and Kusum Ji also spent some time talking through different spices that are using in Indian cooking and passed them around for us to touch and smell.

Another meaningful part of the class was learning about the cultural and philosophical practices surrounding food. We talked about eating with our hands, which is believed to activate the five elements through the five fingers and create a more direct and mindful connection to what we are eating. It quickly became clear to all of us that eating with our hands encourages awareness and presence during a meal. Additionally, there was a big emphasis on gratitude, and we all took some time to appreciate the food and to reflect on the intention behind how it was grown and prepared. This perspective was incredibly grounding for the class. We were all able to collaborate in the kitchen, with all of us being given a task to do as part of the meal preparation. I enjoyed working alongside my classmates during the class and we all learned something new as part of the experience. Overall, the cooking class was an amazing cultural immersion and a practical learning experience. 

This event was supported by Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.