Mahesh Masterclass at Cooking Club

Earlier this month we welcomed Mahesh Sharma who gave us a masterclass in southern Indian cuisine using the 6 Ayurvedic tastes: sweet, salt, sour, bitter, pungent and astringent. Each of these not only adds balance to flavours but has it's own beneficial influence on the physical workings of our bodies and we also learned a spiritual appreciation of food preparation.  The dishes we made were truly stunning yet simple. Mahesh learned to cook from his Mother.

SWEET: Water+Earth. Energy.Nourishing to blood plasma and tissues.A little enhances fertility, a lot weakens the body. Foods= fruit,  honey, milk, rice, barley.
SALT: Earth+Fire. Grounding and connects us to our oceanic ancestors. A little aids digestion, a lot raises the blood pressure and blocks the skin. Foods= seasalt, rock salt, sea vegetables.
SOUR: Water+FIRE. Clarity of thinking. Stimulates digestion and provides Vitamin C. Too much imbalances blood and fertility cycles. Foods= lemons, limes, yoghurt, vinegar, wine.
BITTER: Air+Ether. Strength and immune-boosting. Stimulates digestion and appetite and is detoxifying and cleansing to the body. Too much of these foods stimulate bitter thoughts. Foods= olives, grapefruit, aubergines, courgettes.
PUNGENT: Fire+Air. Quick thinking and responses. Comprehension of complex concepts. In balance, pungent foods relieve nausea, cleans respiratory tract and sinuses. Too much can stimulate hemorrhages and over-crtical thoughts. Foods= ginger, garlic, chilli, onion, black pepper.
ASTRINGENT: Air+Earth. Purification, Calming. These foods contain healthy doses of calcium,magnesium and folic acid. good for wounds, infections and to repair weakness. Too much can increase nihilistic thoughts. Foods= green vegetables, lentils and pulses, cranberries, asparagus..