Indian culture places very strict restrictions about food.
1. No outside food. For even until a decade ago, eating out was considered a last resort. The idea is that one must be aware of what exactly goes into ones food, and that usually meant home cooked food.
2. There are a variety of foods and flavors in India, that are recommended for various circumstances and contexts. Pregnant women had a well defined diet regimen.
3. Certain foods were not allowed in summers and certain foods were not allowed in winters.
4. For Yogis, the dietary restrictions are even stricter. No spices, less salt, limited sugar, limited meals, etc.
5. Fresh food was always prioritised. Food cooked more than 4 hours ago was considered poison.
6. Fasting is recommended in winter months and even once or twice weekly.
Indian cuisine and cultural norms are very complex, but well defined.
A balanced diet with all tastes, us always insisted. Up until a few decades ago, most items were made with ghee, rather than vegetable oil. And that ghee was also homemade.
> Food cooked more than 4 hours ago was considered poison.
tbf, a random dish left under Indian room temperature for hours probably is actually unsafe. Mumbai right now is 32C/90F according to Google, which is about the worst temperature to leave food in.
There is a reason why salads aren't a thing in warmer countries. The same reason applies to people only drinking tea, not cold water. If it's not cooked, it might be actually dangerous.
I don't know, but they seem to often marinade chickens, then steam well, then hang dry, and/or keep hot.
Temperature-growth chart for food pathogens is said to show a bell curve peaking at ~35C/95F. Keeping well-flavored food hot(>122F) works to similar effects as refrigerating, just not energy efficient nor good for maintaining flavors.
If we dig deeper into the norms, some foods were allowed to be taken even after 24 hours (Tamrind Rice, My grandmother always said Tamrind rice tastes better after a day, and it was ok to consume, but would raise a fit if I ate rice that was cooked in the morning).
Some foods were allowed to be taken upto 8-10 hours after cooking.
Microorganisms are harder to grow or sustain below 20C/70F, above 50C/120F, and/or in dry, and/or soaked in salt/sugar/acid/base. Your grandma is spot on about unflavored rice from morning. Not 100% sure about Tamarind rice after a whole day, but that make some sense too(I'd Tupperware and refrigerate immediately or at least reheat occasionally).
I'm saying it didn't appear in the last ten years. And eating fresh food is pretty much a tropical standard, except for preserved items (pickles etc). It changed only with refrigeration.
1. No outside food. For even until a decade ago, eating out was considered a last resort. The idea is that one must be aware of what exactly goes into ones food, and that usually meant home cooked food.
2. There are a variety of foods and flavors in India, that are recommended for various circumstances and contexts. Pregnant women had a well defined diet regimen.
3. Certain foods were not allowed in summers and certain foods were not allowed in winters.
4. For Yogis, the dietary restrictions are even stricter. No spices, less salt, limited sugar, limited meals, etc.
5. Fresh food was always prioritised. Food cooked more than 4 hours ago was considered poison.
6. Fasting is recommended in winter months and even once or twice weekly.
Indian cuisine and cultural norms are very complex, but well defined.
A balanced diet with all tastes, us always insisted. Up until a few decades ago, most items were made with ghee, rather than vegetable oil. And that ghee was also homemade.