Gandhi at the table

In Gandhi's Gujarat, the meal is not divided into starter-main-dessert: instead, several small bowls (katori) are arranged on a large metal tray (thali) and served together — a grain base (rice or bread), a legume, a vegetable, a dairy product, and a sweet touch are tasted alternately, in small bites mixed by hand. For Gandhi, this thali was deliberately austere: little frying, few strong spices, plenty of milk, fruit and simple vegetables, in the spirit of sattvic food that calms the body and mind.

Gujarati cooking relies on the vaghar: cumin, mustard seeds and a pinch of asafoetida are crackled in hot ghee before being poured over the dish. Turmeric, golden and soothing, marks almost every preparation. Gandhi, concerned with frugality, reduced these fats to the strict minimum — but this tempering gesture remains the fragrant soul of his table.