Time for reflection

By Michaela Steil

 

This year, Diwali is taking place on October 19th. Also known as the festival of light, Diwali is a traditional Hindu festival that celebrates the “lifting of spiritual darkness.” The days on which it is celebrated changes from year to year because it is based on the Hindu calendar, which is lunisolar– meaning it follows moon phases and the solar year.  Different traditions celebrate in different ways, but they all have one thing in common: emphasis on life, enjoyment, and the triumph of good over evil.

While Hinduism is considered a religion, it is also has a radiant culture– from holidays to foods to ways of dressing. Either way, Diwali usually includes forgiveness, unity, and personal inner reflection. In this sense, it is also a very personal celebration.

At Stony Brook, there will be a Diwali inspired celebration on October 25 at Jasmine from 7PM to 9PM. The buffet will serve a host of various Indian foods, including Samosas, chutneys, Tandoori chicken, mix vegetable curry, chana masala, saag paneer, basmati rice pulao, raita, and salad, so there should be enough options for everyone.

 

 

THE FOODS

Samosas are fried or baked pastry with varying fillings. You can identify them based on their unique triangular shape. There are a bunch of different varieties, but in Indian culture, they are usually vegetarian.

Fun Fact: Even if they are Indian samosas, you can tell from where they are in India. North and South India each make their samosas different. North Indian samosas usually are made with masala potatoes, which are cut up, while the South uses mashed potatoes and fold the pastry differently!

Most commonly, samosas will be accompanied by a chutney. In the most basic sense, a chutney is a sauce. They are made with pickled ingredients or with added vinegar. They date back to 500 BC India.

To anyone who has ever enjoyed any kind of Indian food, you’ve probably at least heard of tandoori chicken. The dish received its name because of the way it is cooked in a tandoor oven. Stony Brook actually has two different tandoor ovens on campus! One is located in the Curry Kitchen at Jasmine, and another one, that is easier to see, is at Halal NY in East Side Dining. Tandoori chicken was not really seen in America until the 1960s, though.

Naturally, of course there will be curry. While curries originated on the Indian subcontinent, it didn’t take long for them to spread globally and become a favorite among several countries. Curries date back to 26000 BCE,  but were not introduced to more western countries until the 16th to 17th century.

Masala itself simply refers to a mix of spices, so chana masala are chana chickpeas with mixed spices. Chana chickpeas differ from normal chickpeas because they are much smaller and have a bit of a different texture. The dishes goes by several names, including: channay, chloe masala, chole, or chhola. In India it is also a food common among street vendors.

Saag is a leaf- based dish. It is made with spinach, collard greens, etc., but most commonly, mustard leaves. Paneer is a type of cheese. So, in turn, the dish saag paneer, is just a combination of the two. It is also commonly known as palak paneer, but palak means spinach– so depending on the primary greens used it can alter the name, but based on information, they seem interchangeable.

Pulao is another term for pilaf, which is perhaps a bit more well known; it is rice cooked in seasoned broth. Basmati is a type of rice, distinguishable by its longer and slender shape when compared to traditional rice. Basmati rice pulao is the basmati rice cooked the way a pilaf is made.

Like chutney, raita is a condiment used to accompany food. It is a mixture of dahi (yogurt) and vegetables. The main purpose of this dish is not to necessarily add flavor, but rather to help cool, since it is made with the yogurt. Personally, if you can’t eat a lot of spicy food, like me, I’d recommend taking some just in case.

Lastly, there is salad, but I hope I don’t have to talk about what that is…

 

THE ENTERTAINMENT

In terms of entertainment there will be Bhangra, which is a type of Punjab dance. It originates from the Majha region It is a folk dance most common in Northwestern India. Nowadays, the music used to dance to often consists of a blend of Punjab songs and western ones.

 

For some additional reading and sources:

https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/india/diwali

https://www.tripsavvy.com/diwali-festival-in-india-guide-1539291

https://www.thoughtco.com/diwali-festival-of-lights-1770151

https://food-touring.com/2014/02/07/northern-india-samosa/ https://www.britannica.com/art/bhangra

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email