According to the Sutra literature, during the period c. 800 – c. 300 BCE, boiled rice with milk or curd continued to be a common food item. Cows used to be milked twice a day. The ones which were pregnant or undergoing their estrous cycle or nursing a calf of another cow were not milked. The preparation of payasa is also noted.[1] Madhuparka – a mixture of honey with curds or ghee was used for welcoming guests. The preparation of a sweet with clarified butter as one of the ingredients is also mentioned.[2] The Buddhist and Jain texts of the period also regard milk and its products important articles of food, with milk-rice being especially favoured. They mention preparations made from curds, butter and buttermilk. The milk of camels and goats were also in use, in addition to that of cows and buffaloes.[3]
The period c. 300 – c. 75 BCE brought no significant changes to consumption patterns with regard to dairy products.[original research?] Kautilya's Arthashastra lays down that
- ^ Prakash 1961, pp. 35–38.
- ^ Prakash 1961, pp. 40–41.
- ^ Prakash 1961, pp. 62–63.