Saraswat cuisine is the cuisine of the Saraswat Brahmin

Saraswat Brahmin

The Saraswats are a Brahmin caste of India.- History :According to the legend, Saraswat Brahmins are Brahmins who lived on the banks of the former Saraswati River that once flowed in northern India. Although it is said that at Prayag the three rivers meet or met.the fact is that the Saraswati never...

s from the Konkan

Konkan

The Konkan also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali is a rugged section of the western coastline of India from Raigad to Mangalore...

 region on the western coast of India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. Saraswat cuisine differs from sub-Saraswat brahmin sects and region. Saraswat cuisine originally hails from Goa

Goa

Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...

, India. Goan Saraswat cuisine is known throughout the western coast of India. Each variation has its unique flavour and makes uses of different vegetables and fruits available in the region. Saraswat cuisine mostly pesco-vegetarian

Pescetarianism

Pescetarianism is the practice of a diet that includes seafood but not the flesh of other animals.In addition to fish and/or shellfish, a pescetarian diet typically includes all of vegetables, fruit, nuts, grains, beans, eggs and dairy...

, while in certain sects it is strictly vegetarian.

Vegetarian Saraswat cuisine

Their curries use a lot of coconut

Coconut

The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...

, coconut oil

Coconut oil

Coconut oil is an edible oil extracted from the kernel or meat of matured coconuts harvested from the coconut palm . Throughout the tropical world, it has provided the primary source of fat in the diets of millions of people for generations. It has various applications in food, medicine, and industry...

, tamarind

Tamarind

Tamarind is a tree in the family Fabaceae. The genus Tamarindus is monotypic .-Origin:...

, and curry leaves and is largely influenced by South Indian cuisine

South Indian cuisine

South Indian Cuisine is a term used to refer to the cuisines found in the four southern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.-Similarities and differences in "Four states' cuisines":...

. It is slightly similar to Malvani or Konkani

Malvani cuisine

Malvani cuisine is the standard cuisine of the Konkan region of Maharashtra and Goa, and some northern parts of West Karnataka. Although Malvani cuisine is predominantly non-vegetarian, there are many vegetarian delicacies. Although it is an independent cuisine, it overlaps Maharashtrian cuisine...

 and Udupi or Mangalorean cuisine

Udupi cuisine

Udupi cuisine is a world-renowned cuisine of South India. It forms an important part of the Cuisine of Karnataka and takes its name from Udupi, a town on the southwest coast of India in the state of Karnataka. The Udupi cuisine has its origin in the Ashta mathas of Udupi founded by...

. Their cuisine is less spicy and has little Portuguese cuisine

Portuguese cuisine

Portuguese cuisine is characterised by rich, filling and full-flavored dishes and is closely related to Mediterranean cuisine. The influence of Portugal's former colonial possessions is also notable, especially in the wide variety of spices used. These spices include piri piri and black pepper, as...

 influences than the cuisine of their Goan Catholic

Goan Catholic cuisine

The Goan Catholic Cuisine is the cuisine of the Goan Catholic community and is largely influenced by the Saraswat, Konkani, Portuguese, South Indian, and British cuisines....

 counterparts. Hooman ani Xit (Hooman – fish curry; Xit – parboiled rice) is the staple food of the Saraswat Brahmins of Goa, whereas the regular partaking of Indian bread

Indian bread

Indian breads are a wide variety of flatbreads and crêpes which are an integral part of Indian cuisine. Their variation reflects the diversity of Indian culture and food habits....

s such as Puri

Puri

Puri is district headquarter, a city situated about south of state capital Bhubaneswar, on the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal in the Indian state of Orissa. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the Jagannath Temple . It is a holy city of the Hindus as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages...

s, Chapati

Chapati

Chapati or Chapatti or Chapathi is an unleavened flatbread from the Indian subcontinent. Versions of it are found in Turkmenistan and in East African countries Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania...

s and Paratha

Paratha

A paratha/parantha/parauntha is an Indian flat-bread that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Paratha is an amalgamation of the words parat and atta which literally means layers of cooked dough...

s are seen mainly amongst the Saraswat Brahmin of Maharashtra

Maharashtra

Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

, India. Satvik Brahmin (sub-sect of Saraswat Brahmins) cuisine, is similar to Jain cuisne

Jain vegetarianism

Jain vegetarianism is the diet of the Jains, the followers of Jainism. It is the most strict form of religiously-motivated diet regulation in the Indian subcontinent....

, which is a strictly vegetarian cuisine that does not use vegetables that are plucked from underground, like onion

Onion

The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...

s, potatoes, garlic

Garlic

Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...

, etc. Dishes such as Savalem ranapp prepared among the Bhat

Bhat

Bhat meaning a priest or scribe in Sanskrit, is a surname common in most parts of Nepal. A predominantly Hindu last name, it is found most commonly in the states of coastal areas of Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Lalitpur district of Uttar Pradesh, is a...

s (Priests), Orthodox Goud Saraswat Brahmins and Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmins. This is followed by most Konkani

Konkani people

Konkani people , form a group of people mainly found in the Konkan Coast of western India whose mother-tongue is the Konkani language....

 families on Holy days and on festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesh Chaturthi , also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi is the Hindu festival of Ganesha also called Vinayagar in Tamil Nadu, the son of Shiva and Parvati, who is believed to bestow his presence on earth for all his devotees in the duration of this festival...

 follow this style of cooking. On certain days, (Mondays in particular), all Saraswat Brahmins eat only vegetarian food. This is particularly true in families whose Kuldev (family deity) or other family deities like Mangesh

Mangesh

Mangesh is a town in the Iraqi Kurdistan region of Dohuk.The town lies in Barwari region and is populated by Assyrians.Several Assyrian leading figures were assasinated under unknown circumstances in the town.- Sources :...

, Nagueshi

Nagueshi

Nagueshi or Nagesh is a form of Lord Shiva worshipped by Hindu Goans in India. The temple lies in verdant surroundings in the Ponda district of Goa. Unlike many other Hindu temples of Goa which were shifted out of the Velha Conquistas the Nagueshi Temple is at its original place. It has, however,...

 or any other form of Lord Shiva

Shiva

Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

. Most Saraswat Brahmins are routinely vegetarian.

Khatkhate

Khatkhate

-Khatkhate Surname:Khatkhate is a well-known last name in Saraswat Brahmin community hailing from Konkan province of Maharashtra State and the coastal region of Goa in India. Additional information on Khatkhate as surname is available at link.-Khatkhate Curry:In Indian Cuisine, Khatkhate Curry...

m, a vegetable with at least 6 vegetables stew is popular. Bhaji or Shaak (made from different vegetables and fruit), Usal (spicy pulses in a thin watery gravy), Misal

Misal

Misal , meaning "mixture", is a delicacy in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. The dish is eaten for breakfast or as a midday snack or meal. It remains a very popular snack since it is easy to make, is relatively cheap and has good nutritional value. The taste of misal ranges from mildly to...

 (usal topped with fried snacks), Tondak (Beans combined with cashewnuts), Ross (coconut-based dishes), Hoomans (different types of curries), karams (vegetable salads), Lonche (Indian pickle

Indian pickle

Indian pickles are made from certain individual varieties of vegetables and fruits that are chopped into small pieces and cooked in edible oils like sesame oil or brine with many different Indian spices like asafetida, red chili powder, turmeric, fenugreek and plenty of salt. Some regions also...

s) and Papads (flatbread

Flatbread

A flatbread is a simple bread made with flour, water, and salt and then thoroughly rolled into flattened dough. Many flatbreads are unleavened: made without yeast or sourdough culture: although some flatbread is made with yeast, such as pita bread....

). Fast food

Fast food

Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...

s include Moongacho gathi (curried green gram), botatyache patal bhaji (potato

Potato

The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...

 curry), tur dal ross (split pigeon pea

Pigeon pea

The pigeon pea , also known as tropical green pea, toor dāl or arhar dāl , ತೊಗರಿ ಬೇಳೆ kadios , or Congo pea or gungo pea , pois Congo , gandul , gunga pea, or no-eye pea, [Cajanus...

 curry), etc.

Chitrapur Saraswat Cuisine

This is unique and it's various forms have been published in the Ras Chandrika book both in Marathi and English. These are recipes that would have been passed down from mother to daughter or daughter-in-law. Unfortunately, it is out of print and each copy is guarded zealously by the owner though at least one upstart has included them in a vegetarian cookbook. The cuisine consists either of curries and vegetables made with ground fresh coconut gratings or tempered beans, sprouts, pulses (dals) garnished with coconut gratings. However, nowadays, for health reasons, the use of coconut gratings is kept to a minimum. Typical Bhanap or Amchi (as the Chitrapur Saraswats refer to themselves) dishes are Batata Song (Potatoes cooked with tamarind, onions, garlic, chili powder and turmeric), Kairus (ground coconut base with spices, capsicum, potatoes, tamarind, peanuts and cashews), sukke (ground coconut base, spices and a variety of vegetables like potatoes, knolkhol (kohlrabi), peas, cauliflower, okra) and ghashees and ambats, both coconut based. Apinmedi pickle made with a certain variety of raw mango was a staple.

Pesco-vegetarian Cuisine

Many Saraswat Brahmins are pesco-vegetarians

Pescetarianism

Pescetarianism is the practice of a diet that includes seafood but not the flesh of other animals.In addition to fish and/or shellfish, a pescetarian diet typically includes all of vegetables, fruit, nuts, grains, beans, eggs and dairy...

. The inclusion of fish

Fish

Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...

 in the diet is not looked upon as Non vegetarian. Legend has it that when the Saraswati

Saraswati

In Hinduism Saraswati , is the goddess of knowledge, music, arts, science and technology. She is the consort of Brahma, also revered as His Shakti....

 River

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 dried up, the Saraswats who could not farm, were permitted to eat sea food/fish

Fish

Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...

. The fish were euphemistically called Sea Vegetable

Vegetable

The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....

 or झळकें from ( जल काय -Jal Kaay). Oyster

Oyster

The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....

s for example are sometimes called 'samudra phalam' – sea fruit!
L
A typical Breakfast

Breakfast

Breakfast is the first meal taken after rising from a night's sleep, most often eaten in the early morning before undertaking the day's work...

 in a saraswat home may have included Pez (congee

Congee

Congee is a type of rice porridge popular in many Asian countries. It can be eaten alone or served with a side dish. Names for congee are as varied as the style of its preparation...

) of Ukdem Tandhul (Par-boiled rice) and Lonche (Pickle

Pickle

Pickling is a process of preserving food. Pickle or pickling may refer to:-Food:* Pickled cucumber* Pickled onion* Pickled herring* Indian pickle includes oil-based food preservation* Branston and similar sweet pickle relishes...

s) and papad. Wealthier homes would partake of Dosa

Dosa

Dosa or Dhosai is a fermented crepe or pancake made from rice batter and black lentils. It is indigenous to and is a staple dish in the southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, as well as being popular in Sri Lanka...

, Idli (in South Canara

South Canara

South Canara was a district under the British empire, located at . It was bifurcated in 1859 from Canara district. It was the undivided Dakshina Kannada district...

, Karnataka

Karnataka

Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...

 and other parts of South India

South India

South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...

) or Sannas (in Goa

Goa

Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...

), along with chutney

Chutney

Chutney is a a condiment used in South Asian cuisine that usually contains a spice and vegetable mix.Chutneys are wet or dry, having a coarse to fine texture. The Anglo-Indian loan word refers to fresh and pickled preparations indiscriminately, with preserves often sweetened. At least several...

 and or Sambhar. Shevaiyn phann or Phow (Gooda Phow or Meet Mirsange Phow) would be other breakfast specialities. Roties and bhakries also are types of bread eaten along with Tondak or seasoned batatabhaji (potato stir fry preparation).
Lunch and dinner would have Daat DaliToi and rice (Xit pronounced sheeth) in a Dorkes home whereas Bhanaps would prefer Ambat with their rice for Kalvani. A typical Saraswat lunch would have Sheeth, Roass or Varann, in case it is non veg then it would be Hoomann, Bhaji, Tondak, Lonche, Papodd, and Toi or Kadhi. The last is not to be confused with curry, as it is the Saraswat equivalent of the Tamil

Tamil language

Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...

 Rasam

Rasam

Rasam is a South Indian soup. Traditional preparation involves tamarind juice as base in addition to tomato, chili pepper and other spices as seasonings. Steamed lentils are added by some along with any preferred vegetables. Nowadays all the seasonings required are combined and ground beforehand...

, and is made to serve the duel purpose of Mukhashuddhhi (mouth purification, perhaps after all the relatively spicy stuff) and jeervonn (digestive Kadhis include asafoetida

Asafoetida

Asafoetida , alternative spelling asafetida, is the dried latex exuded from the living underground rhizome or tap root of several species of Ferula, which is a perennial herb...

, Vomvom, Jeera

Coriander

Coriander is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. Coriander is native to southern Europe and North Africa to southwestern Asia. It is a soft, hairless plant growing to tall. The leaves are variable in shape, broadly lobed at the base of the plant, and slender and feathery higher on the...

, fennel seed). Sometimes the Kadhis are seasoned simply with Karivel and Sanswam (mustard seed

Mustard seed

Mustard seeds are the small round seeds of various mustard plants. The seeds are usually about 1 or 2 mm in diameter. Mustard seeds may be colored from yellowish white to black. They are important spices in many regional foods. The seeds can come from three different plants: black mustard , brown...

s). Typically, this is a watery preparation which the luncher cups in his hand as it is poured onto his plate and drinks it before mixing a small portion of his rice with it to eat at the end of the meal.