Potatos and Onions - favorite of Shri Babaji and Shri Nathji

Shri Babaji Maharaj was very fond of Potatoes. His favourite food had been the potato, and Jagatmata, his spouse, would make a variety of potato dishes for Shri Babaji Maharaj which he enjoyed immensely.

Humans can actually survive healthily on a diet of just potatoes supplemented only with milk or butter, which contain the two vitamins not provided by potatoes (vitamins A and D). The potato contains all other vitamins and minerals, as well as an assortment of phytochemicals, such as carotenoids and natural phenols.

Now potatos are a part of every day Indian cuisine and most important vegetable in Indian kitchen. But very few people know that It was introduced in India less than 300 years ago by the Portuguese, from South America. So did many other common fruits like Guava. pineapples and vegetables like tomatoes, egg plant (Baingun), green beans and crops like Maize. In old traditional Indian temples like that of Jagannath Puri in Orrisa, food is cooked and offered to the Deities with traditional ingredients and recipes. So when we eat food in those temples we experience the taste of native Indian vegetables and does tastes quite different from vegetable dishes that are cooked in India, which mostly contains non native vegetables like Potato, tomato and onions.

 The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family. The potato was first domesticated in the region of modern-day southern Peru and extreme northwestern Bolivia between the 8000 and 5000 Bc. It has since spread around the world and become a staple crop in many countries. According to conservative estimates, the introduction of the potato was responsible for a quarter of the growth in Old World population and urbanization between 1700 and 1900. Following the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, the Spanish introduced the potato to Europe in the second half of the 16th century. The staple was subsequently conveyed by European mariners to territories and ports throughout the world. The potato was slow to be adopted by distrustful European farmers, but soon enough it became an important food staple and field crop that played a major role in the European 19th century population boom. However, lack of genetic diversity, due to the very limited number of varieties initially introduced, left the crop vulnerable to disease In 1845, a plant disease known as late blight, caused by the fungus-like oomycete Phytophthora infestans, spread rapidly through the poorer communities of western Ireland, resulting in the crop failures that led to the Great Irish Famine.

Potato have now become an integral part of much of the world's cuisine. It is the world's fourth-largest food crop, following rice, wheat and maize

Shri Nathji was very fond of Onions, specially when served as Pakoras. When Shri Nathji was in Akola, he was surprised one evening to find a plate full of pakoraas, made of onions, placed before him. The man who had prepared the dish was a high-caste Brahmin, who did not normally touch onions.

Shri Nathji said to him: "You do not even touch these things, how is it you have cooked them for me?"

And the Brahmin replied: "We found out from your attendant Shyam Lal that you were fond of onion pakoraas, so we made them. Until you came, we followed the spiritual disciplines of a past age, but now, whatever you say shall become our spiritual discipline, our order and way of life–our maryaadaa!"

The onion (Allium cepa), is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium.

Onions have originated from Central Asia and Iran. One species was also native of Egypt. Onions were introduced in India, several centuries ago. It has many medicinal properties and many people use onions  against conditions ranging from the common cold to heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and other diseases. They contain chemical compounds believed to have anti-inflammatory, anticholesterol, anticancer, and antioxidant properties, such as quercetin. Preliminary studies have shown increased consumption of onions reduces the risk of head and neck cancers.