Question

The staple food of the Vedic Aryans was ____.
A. Barley and rice
B. Milk and its products
C. Rice and pulses
D. Vegetables and fruits

Answer 1

Hint: The early Vedic Aryans were pastoralists. Being so, their main occupation was cattle rearing. They also knew about agriculture but did not practice agriculture in wide varieties. Millets, oats, flax and beans were also cultivated by them.

Complete answer: Being pastoralists, the main source of food was the cattle for the early Vedic Aryans. This meant that the milk and its products were the sources of a staple diet for the Aryans. This also brings to light the reason why cattle was considered sacred and auspicious in the Vedic tradition and sacrificed to deities as offerings.
Even though agriculture was known to these people, it was not wide enough to be inculcated as the staple diet of the people.
Looking at the options;
Option A- Barley is a short season growing crop. That means that it cannot be produced year long. So even though it is mentioned as an important grain in the Rig Vedas, it could not be the staple diet. This option is incorrect.
Option B- Being pastoralists, milk and other dairy products were the staple diet of the Vedic Aryans. So this is the correct option.
Option C- Pulses were known to the Vedic Aryans for a long time. Even so, these are agriculture intensive crops and were not produced in abundance as the people were mainly practising pastoralists. Rice finds no mention in Rig Veda. So this is an incorrect option.
Option D- Vegetables and fruits mentioned in Rig Veda are very limited in number and were not extensively cultivated. So this is an incorrect option.
Thus, the correct answer is option (B).

Note: Milk, cream, ghee, butter, yoghurt, curd, cottage cheese etc are all elaborately mentioned in the Rig Veda and given much importance. Moreover, the climate of the Indian subcontinent is found suitable at those times for such products.