Food in the context of death is not a gastronomical endeavor in Hinduism. It has a higher purpose, mainly focused on creating a safe passage to the afterworld for the recently departed, using metaphorical representations of food to aid in the journey.
Ingredients and cooking techniques carry meanings inherent to life and its portability in afterlife. Feeding the soul and the soul’s act of eating make food a metaphor for life in death. Artist and food writer Priya Mani will discuss the edible offerings, especially the piṇḍa that nourish the dead on their journey to the afterlife and comestible transactions in Hindu death rites and rituals known as antyeṣṭi. An edible recipe for adirasam, a sweet for the mourning period is available here.
Priya Mani is a designer and cultural researcher based in Copenhagen. Her work focuses on food, technology, and textiles, with special attention to the culinary culture of her native India. She received a prestigious 2022 Guild of Food Writers Award for her lavish Visual Encyclopaedia of Indian Food, which has also been nominated for an International Association of Culinary Professionals Award in the category of Social Media. The IACP has also nominated her essay on Danish Smørrebrød for Best Food Writing (Travel). A doubleheader! For more information about Mani or to explore her work: https://www.cookalore.com/