Cooked Food Verses Raw Food

Cooked Food Verses Raw Food

Astanga Sangraha: ( A. S. Su. 10/16)


When explaining the correct method of eating food, aachaarya says one should eat सुसिद्ध आहार(well cooked food).
नात्युष्णंमनुपदग्धं सुसिद्धमलोलो नासात्म्यम्...(अ. स. सु. १०/ १६)

Charaka Samhita:

Aachaarya Charaka while explaining the shaaka varga(group of of different types of vegetables), tells about the general qualities of vegetables, method of cooking the vegetable and the vegetables that can be eaten raw.

The general properties of the vegetables are heavy(गुरु), drying(रूक्ष), blocking(विष्टंभि), difficult to digest(अजीर्यति), sweet in taste(मधुर), cold in potency(शीतवीर्य), breaks the stools(पुरीषस्य भेदन). So it should be steamed and the watershould be discarded by sqeezing and prepared with plenty of unctous substance.

शाकं गुरु च रूक्षं च प्रायो विष्टंभ्यजीर्यति।
मधुरं शीतवीर्यं च पुरीषस्य च भेदनम्।
स्विन्नं निष्पीडितरसं स्नेहाढ्यं तत् प्रशस्यते॥ (च. सू. २७/ १०३)
One should not eat shaakas eaten by worms/insects, which has become dry due to wind and sun, old/ over ripe, grown in different seasons, unboiled, without removing water and prepared without unctous substance.
क्रिमि वातातपहतं शुष्कं जीर्णमनार्तवम्।
शाकं निःस्नेहसिद्धं च वर्ज्यं यच्चापरिस्रुतम्। (च. सु. २७/ ३१६)
शाकाs that can be eaten raw are of हरित वर्ग. The ones which were eaten by worms, dried , over ripe, and grown in different seasons should be avoided. But boiling, squeezing and cooking with unctous substance are not needed for this group of vegetables.
हरितानां यथाशाकं निर्देशः साधनादृते। (च. सू. २७/ ३१८)
The harita varga shaakas are आर्द्रक, जम्बीर, सुरस, यवानि, आर्जक, शिग्रु, शालेय, मृष्टक, गन्दीर, जलपिप्पलि, तुम्बुरु, श्रृ‘गवेरिक, भूस्तृण, खराह्वा, धान्यक, अजगन्धा, सुमुख, गृ‘जनक, पलांडु, लशुन.
In viruddha ahara context, one of the types of viruddha ahara is पाक विरुद्ध. The foods cooked with improper firewood(दुष्टदुर्दारु साधितं), uncooked food(अपक्वं), over cooked food(अत्यर्थ पक्वं) and burnt(दग्ध) foods come under this catagory.
विरुद्धंपाकतश्चापि दुष्टदुर्दारुसाधितम्।
अपक्वतंडुलात्यर्थपक्वदग्धं च यद्भवेत्॥ (च. सू. २६/ ९९)

Sushruta Samhita:

In sushruta sootra sthaana acharya explains how to serve different types of foods. There is no mentioning of raw foods except fruits which he says to be eaten in the begining.
आदौ फलानि भुन्जीत दादिमादीनि बुद्धिमान्।
ततः पेयांस्ततो भोज्यान् भक्ष्यांस्चित्रांस्ततः परम्॥ (सु. सू. ४६/ ४६७)