Wednesday
Ganesha's and Mercury's day in India, with green foods, and the day of the Nordic Odin and mid-week soups in Europe.
Wednesday is the day of Budha (Mercury) in the Hindu week, and many families also devote it to Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. Green is the colour of Mercury, so green moong, spinach and herbs are favoured in some traditions. In Europe, the day is named for Woden or Odin, but its food customs are more about the practical mid-week.
Green moong and Budhvar
In North and West India, some households cook whole green moong dal or palak on Wednesday, tempered with cumin, asafoetida, turmeric and ginger. Gifts of green vegetables are given to cows or the poor in some local customs. These are traditions of association and charity and are kept for devotion.
Ganesha offerings
Devotees offer durva grass, red flowers and modak, the sweet dumpling flavoured with cardamom and nutmeg, to Ganesha on Wednesday. In Maharashtra and Karnataka, many people begin new work on this day.
Mid-week in Christian Europe
Wednesday was a fast day in the early Church, together with Friday, and the habit of fish and vegetable meals on Wednesday persisted in monasteries. Cooks used mustard, pepper, ginger and saffron in sauces for fish, many of them recorded in medieval cookbooks.
The spices
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.
- Asafoetida: Toyah, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Cardamom: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mustard seed: Pancrat, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Nutmeg: Herusutimbul, CC BY-SA 4.0, source