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Ganesha, the Supreme Remover of Obstacles and Harbinger of Success, has a huge, protruding stomach. Hence, people think he is very fond of eating.
Here, let us learn something about 5 food items believed to be Ganesha’s favorites.
Modak
Modak is indisputably Ganesha’s biggest favorite. We can even say that Ganesha and Modak are inseparable. So, Modak remains the principal food offering to Ganesha during his birthday celebrations of Ganesha Chaturthi.
Modak, also called Modaka or Modakam, is a snack or sweet dish popular in the country, across many regions and cultures. It is called Kozhukattai in Tamil. It has a soft outer shell made of rice or wheat flour, with a filling of sweet or savory inside. Modak is a delicacy dating to the 2nd century BCE. There are references to it in the ancient Indian medical science of Ayurveda and the celebrated epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, which call it a dumpling with sweet stuffing. In the present times, this sweet filling inside is generally made of a mixture of grated coconut and jaggery. While we have both steamed and fried Modaks, they typically steam the ones with the rice flour shell, and fry the ones with the wheat flour cover. Of late, Modaks have become of many other varieties, too.
Sacred texts claim that Ganesha is fond of Modak; hence, he is even called Modaka Priya, the one who likes Modaks very much. According to a legend, once, Goddess Parvati, who got the precious gift of a Modak, told her sons, Ganesha and Subrahmanya (Muruga), that the one who circumambulates the universe first will get it. While Muruga undertook this task, Ganesha went around his parents, Shiva and Parvati, who are the personification of the universe and received the Modak as a prize for winning the competition.
It is a traditional practice to offer Modaks- 21 or 101- to Ganesha, especially during Ganesha Chaturthi. It is said that the word Modak is derived from ‘Moda’ or ‘Pramoda,’ which can mean happiness. Offering this sweet dish to Ganesha with devotion and faith is believed to please the God of Good Fortune and bestow all-around welfare and joy. Also, as the shape of the Modak is like a money bag, it is said to represent wealth; devotees believe that Ganesha will bless them with that wealth along with all the accompanying pleasures.
Puffed Rice Laddoos
Ganesha is a mighty God, but he is also kind-hearted, whom devotees can please easily with true faith and simple offerings. Puffed rice is an inexpensive food item for the common man, readily available everywhere. Hence, laddoos, the sweet dish made of puffed rice, have become one of Ganesha’s favorite food offerings. Devotees make the puffed rice into a ball-shaped sweet dish with jaggery, called Puffed Rice Laddoo (Pori Urundai in Tamil), and offer it to Ganesha during the Ganesha Chaturthi worship.
According to a mythological story, once Kubera invited Ganesha for lunch. Though he kept consuming whatever Kubera offered, the pot-bellied Ganesha’s appetite was not satisfied. It is said that then, Shiva suggested to Kubera to offer some puffed rice to Ganesha, and that pacified Ganesha soon. So, it is believed that offering a sweet made of puffed rice can make Ganesha happy and get his benevolent blessings for the devotees. Thus, Puffed Rice Ladoos became a favorite dish of Ganesha.
Pedas
Pedas are milk sweets made of flour, sugar, and milk. People also add cardamom, almonds, cashew nuts, etc., to it for flavor. It is interesting how this sweet became a popular Ganesha Chaturthi offering.
Krishna’s birthplace was Mathura, where the Pedas were also born. According to a story, Krishna’s foster mother, Yasodha, forgot to stop the boiling milk at the right time, so the milk over-boiled and turned very thick. Yasodha then added sugar to it and gave it to Krishna, who liked it very much. This mix transformed into Peda over time, and Mathura devotees started offering it to Krishna regularly. Soon, it spread to other regions and became a famous sweet. As people regarded Ganesha as a lover of sweets, they started offering Pedas to Ganesha, too and soon began the practice of offering Pedas to Ganesha during his birthday festivities.
Motichoor Laddoos
Ganesha’s big belly is generally associated with his liking for sweets. Ganesha is believed to be fond of the popular sweet laddoo. There are many laddoos, one of which is the Motichoor Laddoo, the ball of sweet made of small boondis, soaked in sugar or jaggery syrup and supplemented with cashew nuts and additives, with a pleasant aroma and bright yellow color.
Believed to have been created as early as the 4th century BCE with nutritious ingredients like sesame seeds, peanuts, and jaggery, Motichoor Laddoo is also said to be good for health and has become a staple offering to many divinities in many festivals. Thus, Motichoor Laddoo remains one of the principal oblations in the Ganesha Chaturthi festivities.
Kheer
Kheer, known as Payasam in Tamil, is a very popular liquid sweet that forms part of any celebration or auspicious event. With references even in the Ramayana and Mahabharata, Kheer is said to be a favorite food of the Gods and celestials. It was created by Ayurveda and remains one of the earliest food items that humankind was aware of.
Made generally of milk and with the addition of many other ingredients, Kheer comes in many varieties. People use it widely as an oblation to Ganesha during Ganesha Chaturthi.