Nearly 5oo years ago, in the Indian subcontinent, a Sikh Guru made a revolutionary idea about the consumption of food. The idea consisted in creating a place where everyone, regardless of religion or social status, could sit on the ground together as equals and eat the same food.
This was done because in that period the caste which you belonged could decide what you had to eat and with whom. So for this reason it was established a free community kitchen in every Gurudwara (Sikh temple) where everyone were welcomed.
At the Sikh Golden Temple “Harmandir Sahib”, in Amritsar India (one of the most important one) nearly 100.000 people ate every day and no one of them was obliged to pay. Here, in just one day 12.000 kilos of flour are used, 1500 kilos of rice, 13000 kilos of lentils and up to 2000 kilos of vegetables; than there is a mechanized oven that makes 200000 roties (Indian flat bread).
So this kitchen (called langar in Punjabi) is one of the largest free kitchens in the world.
The kitchen is run by 450 staff (regular volunteer) helped by hundreds of other volunteers that wash the 300000 plates, spoons and bowls. The kitchen never runs out of food, most of the donations are made anonymously.
The largest free kitchen in the world embodies the ideal of equality and thus has always been more than just a place to eat for free.
Baldev Singh, 5 B Tecnico
