ABSTRACT

Food is an integral aspect of any cultural milieu, as culinary activities and eating rituals are inextricably linked with social culture, daily routines, gender roles, and religion. Social and symbolic significations of food metaphors are complex and ambivalent. In the case of the minority community of Parsis, food is of paramount socio-cultural, ethnic, and religious importance. According to the tenets of Parsi religion, “He who fills his body with nourishing food is filled with good thoughts which lead to good deeds” (Naoroji [1864] 2005). Food metaphors and rituals are often associated with a very positive and enriching experience, particularly more so for a small community like the Parsis in India, trying to survive amid the increasing hegemonizing political practices of the nation-state. The importance of sensory and bodily pleasure associated with satiating hunger in Parsi religion makes the Parsi attitude to food quite conspicuous.