Evolution of Indian Kitchen

The course of evolution of Indian foods, family and kitchens has been fascinating to experience and observe. The diverse culture of India progressing and changing through centuries of influences and times leaves the scholars too astounded to cover every facet of it.  

Nonetheless, as Indians, we have in our lives at some point or the other; through our grandmothers’ stories, our historic movies or our readings come across references that shed a glimmer on what has been.

So let us begin the journey of a comparatively small, but of utmost importance part of our history; our kitchen.

Did you know that the kitchens of the Royals would be managed by the royal head chef as opposed to by the family members? The Queen would always help her King in matters of political and cultural importance while the actual household would be run by appointed men.

 The ancient kitchens

Did you also know that in a palace, the King’s entire Ministry would eat together? How many people that is to cook for!

To cook for the entire Ministry, the utensils had to be big but the kitchen, bigger than ever. In fact, the kitchen was not a kitchen at all, enclosed in a part of a palace.

The big cauldrons used in palaces

Kitchens were instead, as big as courtyards, spacious enough for a couple of basketball courts to fit in!

These kitchens had huge cauldrons placed right in the middle, where as the side spaces would be used for other preparations.

The common man in those days, however, did not have the privilege of such space. His wife would have a small hearth in the corner of their house and a dinner for three could be cooked using only a few utensils. Hence, no storage space!

The hearth for a small family

How did we ever get from a crude hearth to a raised granite platform?

Barun Mukhopadhyay, a Kolkata-based anthropologist once said, "Kitchen is a space that reflects the culture and economic status of a family."

This holds true especially in case of Indian kitchens. As the hearth in the house changed into a coal stove, and then an electric one, the kitchens grew wider and larger. This reflects the Indian families that grew larger in size.

Joint families meant big spacious kitchens with lots of room for people, storage and cooking. The granaries, kitchen and the verandah would be constructed next to each other; remember multiple doors to the kitchen?

The verandahs were not only a place for the kids to play but also for the grandmothers to lay out the papads and the chillies to dry.

The pots and pans for a big joint family

The sounds of the pestle beating against a mortar made of stone and the numerous earthen pots of clay laid out to ferment curds, gave the kitchen an unintended aesthetic appeal. The walls would be covered with pots, pans and drinking glasses and the windows were large enough to let the cooking fragrances waft throughout the house.

With the growing urban development, the families grew smaller and more nuclear in size. The once grand kitchen was not required anymore. Instead, the appliances and storage was given more importance where the kitchen itself, became much smaller.

Families of three now felt the need to emphasise on the living areas more than the kitchens.

Smaller kitchens with compact storage space

Around this time, women accompanied by their maids no longer had to be the sole shoulder to bear the kitchen duties. The kitchen had grown smaller, but not inadequate. Stoves replaced with 2 to 4 ringed gases; pestles with mixers and pots with a fridge.

The appliances made the chores easy and the maids had made the cooking easier but suddenly, a void was created in the sanctity of the kitchen space.

We had lost the hustle and bustle of the kitchen and yet cooking had never been more convenient with the help of technology.

However, the kitchen had lost its place in the house, one that of central importance to the family, but it still had its uses.

The living rooms were given more attention so as to welcome guests and the aesthetics of the house were the main attraction. The kitchen remained only a utility.

 Emphasis now given to cooking appliances

We still have memories of such kitchens were midnight fridge raids took place in stealth, a glass of water had turned into a icy cold bottle in the summers, and opening the fridge door had become as compulsive as yawning.

However, a couple of decades ago, even this scenario dissolved and then evolved ever so quickly; majority of house were now flats, aesthetics called for the necessity of an interior decorator, and every appliance had an upgrade to it every year.

Mixers were replaced by food processors, juicers by smoothie makers, gas by a microwave and so on, but the one thing remained in demand and perhaps always will; storage.

The kitchens had become smaller, compact but every inch of space was being used.

Compact kitchens; space now used efficiently

The growing urban life had now ensured both man and woman shouldered the kitchen duties. Kids who have always been keen on the cooking and baking, now had modeled kitchen for their use. (read lowered platforms and blunt cabinet edges)

Cooking had returned, and how!

Cooking in your own kitchen is no more a chore but an experience to be shared with your family, your flat mates or your friends. A dinner do at a house is no more a table laid out with food already prepared, but a conversation of hosts and guests, both helping in the kitchen at the same time!

With the ease of kitchens being turned into a model of utility and convenience, cooking is no more a hassle.

Modular kitchens as they are referred to now, imbibe the qualities of all the stages of the evolution. They have space enough for a family to enjoy a meal on their island platform and enough storage to fit a pantry and a verandah!

Modular kitchens with space, modern design and Indian functionality

Their designs are modern maybe even western, but they have all the functions, space, utility an Indian family needs to experience those times again, where families once again spend time amidst the hustle bustle in the comfort of the kitchen, its aromas and its people.