The stories related to food are immense in the Mahabharata, many of them evolved from the regional versions and folklores around Mahabharata.
Dishes-
Kheer- The Kauravas disgruntled by Bheema fed him Kheer mixing vision. When he became unconscious his body was thrown to the water. There poisonous snakes dissed him and the vision was neutralised. He spent a few days in the Nether land before returning home
Aviyal- When Bheema didn't rerned home, and the news of his drowning reached in the palace, there was mourning. Eventually they started preparing for his death feast. A lot of vegetables were cut for the occasion but then Bheema emerged alive. Everyone was so happy but then the food was supposed to get waste. So Bheema mixed all the vegetables and prepared a new dish which is now cooked as Aviyal in Southern India.
Berries- During their stay in the forest Sun God gave an Akshay Patra to Draupadi which can feed as many people as possible but only till Draupadi doesn't partake food. But before that One day when everyone including Draupadi had taken their food, sage Durvasa came with his disciples and demanded food. Pandavas were in dilemma as Durvasa was known for his temper and was prone to giving curse. Sage Durvasa went to the river to take bath asking the Pandavas to present food when he comes back. At that time Krishna appears on the scene. He asks Draupadi what is left with her. She replies that only a piece of berry is remaining. Krishna puts the piece of berry in his mouth and burps. Suddenly Durvasa and his disciples start feeling full and decide not to take food.
Saag or Green Vegetable- Vidura was known for austerity and used to eat only saag grown in his own backyard Another story suggests that when in the Udyog Parva Krishna arrives at Hastinapur as messenger for Pandavas, Duryodhana offers him sumptuous lunch but he refused and rather goes to Vidur to eat Saag cooked at his home.
Fruits- We find mention of Bananas, Mangoes and jackfruit in particular. So when Krishna arrives at Vidur’s house for food he offers him Bananas to eat but Vidur is so overwhelmed looking at Krishna that he starts peeling Bananas himself. He peeled away the banana and threw them and gave the peelings to Krishna and Krishna happily ate them. Much later when the Bananas finished did he realise that he threw the Bananans and gave peelings to Krishna but Krishna took it as symbol of Vidur’s devotion.
In the Stri Parva Gandhari is so much saddened by the death of her son's that she stayed at the crematorium whole night. At very late night she felt hungry. She looked around and saw a mango tree. But there was nothing to climb on the tree..Desperate to eat thismango, she made a pile of stones, climbed on it and stretched out her hand to reach the fruit. The mango was delicious. As soon as she ate the mango, the hunger pangs abated. Gandhari’s senses returned. She felt the stones that she had climbed to pluck the fruit. They did not feel like stones at all, but like the bodies of men. Her sons! Gandhari realized she had made a pile of her own children’s corpses to pluck the fruit which satisfied her hunger.
Jackfruit- This is part of the many folklores associated with Mahabharata. Once, Bhima pretended to have fever and requested Draupadi to massage his feet. He took large fruits and covered them with a bedsheet. Without removing the bedsheet, Draupadi massaged what she thought were the firm limbs of Bhima while her husbands watched from afar. When the truth was revealed, she was so angry that she cursed the fruits. In future, they would not be smooth; they would be covered with spikes. That is why the jackfruit skin is covered with spikes.
Honey- Vidura narrates this story to Yuddhisthira mentioning Jackfruit and honey. ‘Once a man lost his way in the forest and fell into a pit. As he fell, his feet got entangled in some vines and he was suspended head down. Above, the sky was dark. He heard the wind howl. On the edge of the pit he saw a herd of wild elephants trumpeting wildly. Down in the pit were hissing hundreds of venomous serpents. Rats were gnawing the roots of the vine to which he clung like a jackfruit ripe for the picking. Suddenly, through the corner of his eye, he saw bees humming around a bee hive. A drop of honey fell from the beehive. Forgetting the terrible situation he was in, the priest stretched out his hand to collect a drop of that honey. At that moment, fear of storms, elephants, rats and serpents, and imminent death escaped him; all that mattered was the sweet taste of honey.’
Groundnuts- This is associated with the folklore about the King of Udupi in Karnataka. So the king of Udupi was not in favour of fighting in the war so he offered to cook meals for both the armies. Every day he used to meticulously deliever food for enough food for all the soldiers not one ounce more not one ounce less. After the end of war Yuddhisthira asked him how he managed it and how he knew exactly how many soldiers will be present for food after the day’s war. He replied that every night he used to offer groundnuts to Krishna (this is obviously a folklore because historically groundnuts reached India from America). The next morning he found some groundnuts untouched which meant this thousand number of soldiers will die in that day’s war.
Meat- We find mention of consumption of meat many times including human meat. Bakasura used to eat the human along with the food that was brought to him. But Bheema ate his food and later killed him. Similarly Hidimb sent his sister Hidimba to fetch human meat but he saw and fell in love with Bheema and didn't eat him. Later Bheema killed Hidimb and married Hidimba. We also find the story of Nala Damyanti where hungry Nala decides to catch birds to eat. We also find reference to Bheema eating meat after the end of war and when he used to crack the bone of meat he used to mutter “This was the sound when I broke Duryodhana’s thighs”. Dhritarashtra and Gandhari felt immensely insulted by all this and decided to renounce the world. For this sin Bheema had to stay in the nether world for some time during their ascent to heaven.
