Chapter 8: Pacittiya 4. The Food Chapter

DaltheJigsaw

Many of the rules in this chapter classify food into two groups: bhojana (consumables) and khadiniya (chewables). Scholars usually translate the two as "softer food" and "harder food," although the hardness and softness of a particular food have little to do with the category it belongs to. A translation closer to the essence of each category would be "staple food" and "non-staple food." The distinction between the two is important, for it is often the deciding factor between what is and is not an offense. Note, however, that the term staple here covers only what was considered staple in the time of the Buddha. Bread, pasta, and potatoes, which are staples in the West, were not always staples in India at that time, and so do not always fit into this category.


http://www.hinduwebsite.com/buddhism/practical/food_pacittiya.asp

fakebuddha

Maybe by chewable they mean things you savor in your mouth instead of intend to swallow to continue your life or satisfy hunger.