Khichdi: The modest Indian food loved by gods and emperors alike
When you are down with a fever or cough and cold, the most common food that you are offered is khichdi. Why? This is a superfood with all essential nutrients that could fill in your tummy without causing any side effect. No wonder, it is extremely popular across India – Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand, etc. However, the formats are different. The preparation style with or without veggies or the pulses used may differ but they all are essentially the same, khichdi. So, when was khichdi born? Let’s find out.
Origin of the term ‘khichdi’
Khichdi is a dish in South Asian cuisine primarily made of rice and lentils (dal) with many variations across India. You must have heard of moong dal khichdi, bajra khichdi, toor dal khichdi and many more variations. In fact, Hindus also eat sabudana khichdi (made from sago) during fasting, when they avoid eating any grains or cereals.
But ever thought where the word is derived from? It comes from the Sanskrit word khiccā, a dish of rice and legumes in ancient India. It seems that the dish was very popular from the ancient days.
Khichdi in myths and history
The earliest reference to khichdi could be found in the Indian epic ‘Mahabharata’ (between the 9th to 8th century BC). According to one of the tales, Drupadi is said to have fed khichdi to the Pandavas during their exile. Another mythological tale has us believe that Sudama, Lord Krishna’s friend carried a potli of khichdi for his friend went the two were supposed to meet in Dwarka. Sadly, it got snatched by a monkey on the way.
The Greek king Seleucus campaigned in India between 305-303 BC and he has mentioned that rice with pulses was very popular combo here. The historical accounts of Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta too mention khichdi as a dish in India composed of rice and mung beans, during his stay around 1350.
The dish is also described in the writings of Afanasiy Nikitin, a Russian adventurer who travelled to the Indian subcontinent in the 15th century.
Khichdi was very popular with the Mughals too, especially Jahangir. Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century document, written by Mughal Emperor Akbar's vizier, Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, mentions khichdi recipes with seven variations. There is also an anecdotal story featuring Akbar, Birbal and khichdi. Seems Akbar was very fond of this simple food.
Different states, different variations
The word khichdi is not that popular in south India. People of Tamil Nadu and Andhra regions cook Pongal, and Kannadigas prepare Huggi which is moong dal khichdi and bisi bele bhath, a pigeon pea variation with vegetables. The Anglo-Indian dish kedgeree is also thought to derive from khichdi. The Hyderabadi Muslim community of erstwhile Hyderabad makes khichdi as a common breakfast dish, and is an important part of Hyderabadi cuisine but is called kheema or khatta.
The national dish controversy
The Indian government is promoting khichdi globally as the "queen of all foods". So, the dish was unofficially designated as the national dish of India by the Indian media back in 2017. However, that didn’t go down well with the politicians. Government authorities later clarified that though the dish is indeed very healthy and nutritious, it has no plans to designate it as the national dish of India.