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Ever wondered the origin of Dal ?
When early agriculture developed in the mesolithic phase in ancient history, dal varieties such as black gram, green gram etc... were the first crops along with rice, wheat and barley to be sown. Dal crops, as agricultural products were found in the Indian subcontinent 5000 years ago, way back in the Indus valley civilization [IVC].
It is evident through the traces found in the red and black earthenware at the IVC sites. There is also a dedicated Great granary found in Mohenjo Daro, which must have been a storehouse of goods and food commodities, consisting these early crops in large quantities.
But, Dal as a dish is said to have its origin during Chandragupta Maurya's period in the 2nd century BC. It was served in his wedding feast as part of the royal banquet. Dal first appeared in a literary source - Mahabaratha - where Bhima , while hiding out as a cook in King Virat's kitchen created a scrumptious meal of mixed lentils slow cooked in technique called dum pukht technique [ slow cooking in dum ] , which was famously known as panchmel.
Medieval period
Later, Dal found its way through the Mughal kitchen, becoming a favorite of the Emperors. Word goes around that, Dal was introduced in the Mughal royal kitchen, when Akbar made several matrimonial alliances with the Rajput kingdoms.
The Rajput princesses, who predominantly followed a vegetarian diet, brought in the recipe of panchmel dal to their Mughal Palaces. Jodha Bai, enamored by the panchmel dal, made it part of her regualar diet.
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Later, many such variations of Dal were created to entertain the Royal Mughal emperors. The famous one being the Muradabadi dal. A slow cooked, velvety texturised moong dal topped with crunchy garnishes was the favorite of Prince Murad Baksh, third son of Shah Jahan and the founder of Muradabad. Later on, Dal found a regular place in the everyday menu of Aurangzeb who followed a strict vegetarian diet in his lifetime.
Why Dal is a staple in Indian cuisine ?
Thus, having such a rich and long history, how it cannot be a staple, just like wheat and rice. Dal is considered an excellent source of protein. Hence, it poses as a viable nutrient alternative to the vegetarians. Moreover, its preparation is very quick and modest.
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Added to it, pulses and gram are the widely sown crops in India. Influentially, India is the largest producer and consumer of pulses in the world. Sown both as Kharif and Rabi crops, pulses account for around 20 % of the area under foodgrains and contribute around 7-10 % of the total foodgrains production in the country.
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