<p>At the risk of posting something that's more of a comment rather than an answer ...</p>

<p>I thought of "Jains" (from the same kind of era as Buddhists) -- apparently they too don't eat garlic, leeks, scallions, onions (apparently their rationale is that these are root vegetables) -- but (I may be wrong) I read that they (and Brahmins) <strong>can</strong> eat asafoetida. I don't know the history of it though, nor the Buddhism.</p>

<p>I suppose you might look in the Vinaya (where else?), for what you're looking for.</p>

<p><a href="https://bswa.org/forum/forum/discussion/sutta-vinaya-and-pali/1724-can-monks-and-nuns-eat-garlic" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Can monks and nuns eat garlic?</a> (for example) gives a reference to <a href="http://suttacentral.net/pli-tv-kd15/en/horner-brahmali" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this</a>, which includes ...</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Monks, garlic should not be eaten. Whoever should eat it, there is an offence of wrong-doing.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>... and ...</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>I allow you, monks, to eat garlic in the case of illness.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>And <a href="https://bswa.org/forum/forum/discussion/sutta-vinaya-and-pali/1724-can-monks-and-nuns-eat-garlic?p=20407#post20407" rel="nofollow noreferrer">the last post in that thread</a> says ...</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Should the same approach of moderation be taken for all five "pungent spices," i.e., leeks, scallions, garlic, onion, and ginger (if I have them correctly)?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>... which might make sense? Ginger is "pungent" <strong>and</strong> is another plant-root (avoiding plant-roots is, I think, part of being as harmless as possible -- in the Jain doctrine at least -- I think that forest-dwelling Buddhist monks, too, aren't supposed to dig i.e. disturb the soil).</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-04T12:59:25.227Z
2018-12-04T13:14:15.500Z
2018-12-04T13:14:15.500Z
ChrisW
<p>According to Salguero (2017):</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The Five Pungent Roots generally refer to garlic, leeks, scallions, onions, and asafoetida, as well as their subvarieties. In some sources, the list includes ginger and chives.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I am looking for a more definitive reference for this. In particular, I am looking for any early Buddhist texts that proscribe the "Five Pungents" and, better still, explicitly names the five.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-04T12:03:15.417Z
Unless you know for a fact that this proscription does not appear in any non-Chinese or non-Mahayana Buddhist text, I would not assume so. (My question is about *any* Buddhist text, not just Chinese or Mahayana ones.)
user1180576
<texts><food><early-buddhism>
What are the Five Pungent (Vegetables/Roots/Spices) and when were they first proscribed?
# What are the Five Pungent (Vegetables/Roots/Spices) and when were they first proscribed?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-12-04)

According to Salguero (2017):

> The Five Pungent Roots generally refer to garlic, leeks, scallions, onions, and asafoetida, as well as their subvarieties. In some sources, the list includes ginger and chives.

I am looking for a more definitive reference for this. In particular, I am looking for any early Buddhist texts that proscribe the "Five Pungents" and, better still, explicitly names the five.

**Tags:** texts, food, early-buddhism

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Unless you know for a fact that this proscription does not appear in any non-Chinese or non-Mahayana Buddhist text, I would not assume so. (My question is about *any* Buddhist text, not just Chinese or Mahayana ones.)  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2018-12-04. Score: 1

At the risk of posting something that's more of a comment rather than an answer ...

I thought of "Jains" (from the same kind of era as Buddhists) -- apparently they too don't eat garlic, leeks, scallions, onions (apparently their rationale is that these are root vegetables) -- but (I may be wrong) I read that they (and Brahmins) **can** eat asafoetida. I don't know the history of it though, nor the Buddhism.

I suppose you might look in the Vinaya (where else?), for what you're looking for.

[Can monks and nuns eat garlic?](https://bswa.org/forum/forum/discussion/sutta-vinaya-and-pali/1724-can-monks-and-nuns-eat-garlic) (for example) gives a reference to [this](http://suttacentral.net/pli-tv-kd15/en/horner-brahmali), which includes ...

> Monks, garlic should not be eaten. Whoever should eat it, there is an offence of wrong-doing.

... and ...

> I allow you, monks, to eat garlic in the case of illness.

And [the last post in that thread](https://bswa.org/forum/forum/discussion/sutta-vinaya-and-pali/1724-can-monks-and-nuns-eat-garlic?p=20407#post20407) says ...

> Should the same approach of moderation be taken for all five "pungent spices," i.e., leeks, scallions, garlic, onion, and ginger (if I have them correctly)?

... which might make sense? Ginger is "pungent" **and** is another plant-root (avoiding plant-roots is, I think, part of being as harmless as possible -- in the Jain doctrine at least -- I think that forest-dwelling Buddhist monks, too, aren't supposed to dig i.e. disturb the soil).


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