Salt has been used for seasoning our food for thousands of years and has helped bring flavour and taste to almost everything that we cook. Parsis who love eating eggs cannot even imagine their fried or scrambled eggs served without a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. A question therefore arises as to why we cook and serve saltless pulses (mori daar) on auspicious occasions?

Sagan-nu-Dhun Daar

Dal (lentil) is staple food across many cultures in India and it is no different for Parsis. However, Mori (saltless) Dar is always eaten for lunch on auspicious days or happy occasions like birthdays, weddings navjote or anniversaries. It’s usually eaten with boiled white rice and this combo of white rice and yellow saltless dal is called Sagan-nu-Dhun Daar. The term Sagan is adopted from Sanskrit Shagun which signifies good fortune, blessings, and prosperity. Dhun means wealth and rice indeed symbolizes wealth, abundance, fertility and prosperity. Yellow daar, which resembles the colour of gold, symbolizes good fortune, spiritual growth and enhancement of wisdom and wealth.

A rich, scrumptious macchi-no-patio (fish cooked in a sweet, tangy and spicy tomato gravy) is standard accompaniment with Sagan-nu-Dhun Daar. In Zoroastrian mystic lore, Mahi – the fish, can see the smallest piece of object even in the dark. The First Dasturji MeherjiRana of Navsari was a disciple of the mystic saint Azar Kaiwan. The latter used to fondly call the former as Mahiyaar (a fairly common Parsi name even today) which means, “friend of the fish that can see in the dark” or “one who can see through even darkness (of ignorance).” Mystics like Azar Kaiwan and MeherjiRana had the spiritual powers to see beyond the veil of darkness that covers our vision of this Universe and perceive the Will of God.

Since fish (Mahi) is symbolic of dispelling darkness, naturally on all auspicious occasions, among other things, Parsis like to dispel the forces of darkness in a manner they relish and delight in the most – tickle their taste buds with Sagan ni Macchi made in a pungent patio and later douse the palate set on fire with a sweet Mavani Boi for dessert.

Why is Daar Served Saltless?

In Zoroastrian theology, salt is considered as a contaminant, a symbol of the Evil Spirit’s corruption of Ahura Mazda’s pure and good creations. According to Zoroastrian cosmology, Ahura Mazda, the benevolent Creator, initially created the world in a perfect, pure state. However, the Evil Spirit, Angra Mainyu (or Ahriman), subsequently attacked and defiled this perfect creation.

Theologically, salt’s most significant association is with the sea and according to various Pahlavi texts, including the Bundahisn (the Zoroastrian book of Genesis) Ahriman attacked the large bodies of water on earth and made the oceans and seas salty, bringing an element of imperfection into Ahura Mazda’s perfect creation. This theological narrative frames salt as a manifestation of druj, or falsehood, and associates it with contamination. Thus, salt, which theologically symbolises a manifestation of druj, is not added to the yellow daar which symbolizes good fortune, spiritual growth, and enhancement of wisdom and wealth.

Zoroastrianism has strict rules of ritual purity, with practices designed to maintain the purity of creations like fire, water, and earth. Therefore, sea water which is theologically considered defiled by the evil spirit with salt is not used in ritual purification ceremonies. Instead, pure sweet well water is used for all religious ceremonies. In Iran there is also a custom which seems more cultural that religious, to burn salt together with Esfand seeds, to ward off evil and the evil eye (Nazar).

Cultural Significance of Salt

Salt has been used by humans for thousands of years, from food preservation to seasoning. Salt’s ability to preserve food was a major contributor to the development of civilization. It helped eliminate dependence on seasonal availability of food, and made it possible to transport food over large distances. However, salt was often difficult to obtain, so it was a highly valued trade item, and was considered a form of currency by many societies, including Rome.

According to Pliny the Elder, Roman soldiers were paid in salt (Salaria), from which the word salary is believed to have been derived. The Via Salaria (salt Road) originated as a Bronze Age trackway, used by the Sabines and other ancient Italians to transport salt from coastal salt pans to inland settlements.

Ceremonial Use of salt

Salt has been used in rituals and ceremonies for centuries, with its significance extending beyond culinary uses. Salt has a special place in spiritual practices worldwide, with many cultures associating it with protection and cleansing. Across cultures and centuries, salt has held deep spiritual significance as a powerful agent of purification, protection, and renewal. In Japan, it plays a central role in the Shinto purification ritual of misogi, observed at the start of the new year. During misogi, participants cleanse their bodies and are sprinkled with salt to remove “spiritual dirt” and stagnant energy, symbolising a fresh beginning in both body and spirit.

In Christianity, salt represents purity and wisdom; it is used during infant baptism to signify the cleansing of sin and the start of a new spiritual life. Many African traditions view salt as a protective substance that wards off evil spirits – sprinkling it at doorways and windows is believed to block negative energies, while it is also used to purify sacred objects. Among Native American communities, salt is seen as embodying the earth’s healing powers, capable of restoring balance and harmony. Ancient Indian texts, too, revere salt – especially rock salt (Sendha Namak), linked with Saturn (Shani) in Vedic astrology. Used in rituals and diets, it is believed to mitigate Saturn’s challenges while purifying the mind and body, thereby supporting spiritual growth, discipline, and inner strength.

Spiritual Significance

Spiritually, salt is revered as a symbol of purification, protection and renewal. It is believed to absorb negative energy, emotional residue and stress, restoring balance and clarity in both spaces and individuals. A common practice is adding salt to water while mopping floors to cleanse the atmosphere and invite harmony into a home.

Salt also embodies vitality and endurance, essential for physical and spiritual well-being. Scientifically, it has mild antibacterial properties and inhibits microbial growth by dehydrating bacteria. Hindus avoid table salt during fasts like Sawan Somvar or Navratri, using rock salt (sendha namak) instead. It is also withheld during mourning to signify detachment from worldly pleasures, reintroduced once the mourning period ends.