An Indian Perspective (my interview with Sandra)

Hi Abbie!

Ever since your post on annaprasan I have been meaning to go back to my notes from an interview with my friend Sandra to see if she touched on this first-food tradition. While I didn't find any mention of it, I did enjoy reading back over her thoughtful and detailed answers and decided to go ahead and post them now before the craziness of holiday travels leaves me happily stranded in Indiana without internet access :) I haven't yet tried her recipe for kichri, as my son is too little for it at 5 months, but I'm looking forward to it. I hope you and your family have a very happy holiday season!


On traditional first foods: "In India, babies are usually nursed until about 9 months of age, sometimes longer. Solid foods are introduced at 3 months of age. One of the first solids is a cereal derived from rice which is thought to be most easily digested. This would be cooked into a thin gruel and called "conji". Nowadays the most common brands for babies cereal are "Farex" and "Cerelac" that is usually mixed with formula to form a runny porridge. Other first foods are mashed banana, and when the child is a little older, at about 6 months, vegetables cooked and in chicken or beef broth and then pureed and strained."

On more "advanced" infant foods: "The most common food for children around 1 year old is a dish called "kichri" (recipe at end of interview). This is rice and lentils cooked together until it becomes very soft. Other foods would be rice and yogurt, custard, a piece of chapati (Indian flat bread that looks like a tortilla), buttered rice, and fish (especially where I grew up along the coast). This was simply a spoonful of butter stirred into a cup of just-cooked rice with fish either poached or sauteed. Children were always given sweeter tasting river fish (with skin and bones removed) instead of the sea fish."

On taboo foods: "No crustaceans as they were considered difficult to digest. No fruit called custard apple similar to cherimoya, since it has small seeds that could pose a choking hazard. No uncooked eggs and no caffeinated drinks."

On medicinal or health-promoting foods: "Honey (given only to children older than 3 years), milk, onion juice cooked with sugar - remedy for colds, porridge made out of ragi (millet) flour was supposed to be good for overall health, other grain porridges made from oatmeal, whole wheat flour, semolina (cream of wheat) and sago (starch extracted from the pith inside stems of the sago palm Metroxylon), coconut water from tender (green) coconuts is considered cooling in hot weather."

On liquids given to babies: "Milk is the primary liquid. Cow's milk is only introduced after the child is 1 year old. Formula milk is becoming increasingly common. Rice starch (ie water collected after boiling rice) is also given. Babies are not given fruit juices to drink."

On the feeding of babies: "Usually it is the mother who feeds the baby. Previously in the joined family with extended family members present others would pitch in to feed the baby. Most middle and upper class families would have a nanny or "ayah". She was a servant of importance who worked with the family for many years performing the role of lady's maid as well. We look upon ayahs with great affection as she was like a second mother to us. Fussy eaters would be made to eat by distracting them with songs or bird/animal noises. Milk is fed in a bottle. For all other semi-solid and solid foods babies are spoon fed. It was not uncommon for the ayah to put small morsels of food in the child's mouth with her fingers. Babies were fed before their older siblings. Having spent my childhood in India and having brought up my own children here I can see the difference in expectations re:when a child ought to feed itself. In India the ayah would feed the child until 5 or 6 years of age. Whereas here children are encouraged to feed themselves as soon as they have the motor skills to do so."

"Here are some of my favorite toddler foods: Fresh fruit - especially diced mango, "Eggy soldiers" Soft boiled egg with butter toast fingers to dip into the yolk, Custard. Ready-made or bottled baby food was not favored - all food was made using fresh ingredients. Indians are quite fastidious about this."

"Here's my home recipe for kichri - interestingly this is believed to be the origin of the Anglo-Indian rice dish called "kedgeree":

- 1 cup rice
- 1/2 cup yellow lentils (moong dal)
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp butter
- pinch of salt
Wash the rice and lentils till the water runs clear.
Put in a large saucepan with 2 cups water and a pinch salt.
Bring to a boil on medium heat then partially cover the sauce pan and simmer till the rice and lentils are soft and the water is absorbed.
Stir in the butter
The water in the above recipe can be replaced with chicken broth."