Fans of the two great Itihasas (The Ramayana and Mahabharata) may be familiar with the story of the origins of this dish which date back more than 5,000 years to the time of the exile of the Pandavas. Here’s the most terribly abridged summary of who the Pandavas and Bhima are (sorry, I’d love to tell the entire story of the Mahabharata here, but that would make this recipe post a tad long…). The Pandavas, were the children of Queen Kunti, who were surrogate fathered by demigods since her husband Pandu had taken a vow of celibacy. The demigod who was the surrogate father of Bhima was Vayu, the god of wind. Vayu impregnated Kunti with Bhima after she performed a yajna, or ritual sacrifice. Bhima was born with great strength and power, and became one of the greatest warriors in the world. The Pandavas were exiled from Hastinapur by their jealous, power-hungry cousins, the Kauravas, and they spent many years in the forest. During their exile, they faced many challenges, and learned valuable lessons about life and their eternal connection to Krsna. Eventually, the Pandavas returned to Hastinapur and defeated the Kauravas in the Kurukshetra War (the setting of the Bhagavad Gita). Alright. Alright, already. Lemme get to the part where Bhima created Aviyal… During the late stages of the Pandava’s exile, they took shelter in the kingdom of Virata, taking on false identities so they were not recognized as exiled royalty. Bhima took the name Vallava and became the cook in the palace.  One day, King Virata was expecting a large group of guests for a feast. He called his cook, Vallava (who was secretly Bhima), and instructed him to prepare a delicious meal. Being a voracious eater, Bhima was also a skilled cook, but he was worried. He only had a few vegetables and some coconut, and he didn't know how he would make enough food for all the guests. Bhima decided to be creative. He chopped up the vegetables and the coconut and then cooked them together in a pot. The guests loved it, and the dish has survived in a similar form today. Because Itihasas are not just historical documents, but are some of the most important spiritual books, I think it is important to be accurate when citing facts from the Shastra. Unfortunately, not all versions of the Mahabharata contain this precious culinary story. My favorite English adaptation of the epic by Krishna Dharma is heavily abridged at around 1000 pages, and doesn’t have the story. A couple of notable editions of the Mahabharata that include the story of Bhima creating aviyal are: The Critical Edition: The Critical Edition of the Mahabharata is the most widely accepted version of the epic. It was compiled by a team of scholars under the leadership of R.P. Shastri. The Critical Edition includes the story of Bhima creating aviyal in Book 13, Chapter 31. The Southern Recension: The Southern Recension of the Mahabharata is a version of the epic that was preserved in the southern states of India. It is believed to be older than the Critical Edition. The Southern Recension includes the story of Bhima creating aviyal in Book 13, Chapter 33. Notably, The Kashmiri Recension does not include the story of Bhima creating aviyal. The Kashmiri Recension of the Mahabharata is a version of the epic that was preserved in the Kashmir region of India. It is believed to be the oldest version of the epic. Any recipe that can be traced back to Krsna and his eternal associates and is sattvic and suitable to be offered as bhoga is really special! Mentions of a few other dishes can be found in the very precious 10th canto of Srimad Bhagavata Purana.