What can be offered as bhoga or naivedya, and can we taste the food while cooking it?

offer fresh, vegetarian food cooked with care; traditionally the cook does not taste it before it is offered.

Naivedya is food offered to God before anyone eats it. In most homes it is simple and sāttvic: cooked rice, dal, kheer, halwa, fruit, milk, sweets, or even a few raisins or a piece of jaggery. Many families avoid onion, garlic, meat and eggs in offered food, and some sampradāyas have detailed rules, especially in Vaiṣṇava temples.

Because the offering is meant to be the first portion, the common custom is not to taste food while cooking it for bhoga; experienced cooks judge by smell and practice. A separate small portion is set aside on a clean plate, with a tulasī leaf for Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa, water is sprinkled around it, and it is offered with a short prayer for a few minutes before being mixed back with the rest as prasāda.

If you tasted by mistake, simply offer the food with sincerity — the attitude matters more than the slip.

Tulasī leaf on naivedya for Viṣṇu and Kṛṣṇa · Source: common family and Vaiṣṇava practice

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