Monday
Shiva's day for many Hindus, the day of the lunar fast, and the laundry day of red beans and rice in New Orleans.
Monday carries two quite different food traditions. In Hindu practice it is Somvar, the day of Shiva and of the moon (Soma), and many devotees keep a light fast. In the American South, Monday was wash day, and cooks put a pot of red beans on the stove to simmer slowly while the household worked. Both customs favour simple food, and the spices that are used are the few that suit it.
Somvar fasting in India
Devotees who fast on Mondays, especially in the month of Shravan, often take one meal in the evening of fruit, milk, potatoes or sabudana, seasoned with rock salt, cumin, black pepper and green chilli rather than the full spice box. Some avoid onion and garlic. Offerings at the temple include milk, bael leaves and sweets perfumed with cardamom.
Red beans and rice
In Louisiana, red beans and rice on Monday is a long-standing habit. The beans are cooked with the bone of Sunday's ham, onion, celery and green pepper, with bay leaf, thyme, black pepper and cayenne, and served over rice. It was a dish that could be left alone for hours, which suited the work of the day.
Meatless Mondays and Lent
In some Catholic and Orthodox communities, Monday was historically a fasting day in certain seasons, and cooks leaned on garlic, oregano, pepper and lemon for flavour in the dishes of beans and vegetables. The pattern is common worldwide: where meat is set aside, spice carries the meal.
The spices
Also part of it, and being written: Cayenne pepper (The heat in Louisiana red beans.).
Written by the EveryMasala desk with AI assistance. Customs differ by community and family, and are described here as tradition, not instruction. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Bay leaf: Χρήστης:Andrikkos / The original uploader was Andrikkos at Greek Wikip, Public domain, source
- Cumin: Sanjay Acharya, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Black pepper: David Monniaux, CC BY-SA 3.0, source