path of the palate(with reference to Kerala)
What did you have yesterday-Chappathi, puri, biriyani, soup, omelets, bread-butter, puttu, dosa, iddali, sambar, aviyal, rasam and curd?
What you had could be any one of these or may be several them.
Do you know what our food habits were long ago?
Most of the above mentioned were unfamiliar and unheard of, then. The development that has taken place since then could be called FOOD REVOLUTION.
Contrary to the existing habit of drinking hot coffee or tea in the morning we had pazhankanji stored in the earthen pot-muses 80 year old sankaran. “This cool energy rich gruel is taken along with kadumanga or fish curry or by just crushing and squeezing green chillies and salt together into it.”
People used to take black tea or coffee. The rich would have it along with a lump of butter. It is consuming enjoying the smell of melting butter tickling the nostrils.
USUALLY KANJI is served for lunch. It is consumed with chutney. The side dishes used to be erusseri(raw jack fruit, elephant foot yam or raw banana) and thoran(from jack fruit seeds or pumpkin flowers.
Sometimes asthram or pachatheeyal is prepared using raw mango, plantain and colocasia in a semi solid form. It is mixed with hot boiled rice and is eaten in large mouthfuls.
Fish was not always available. One had to go to andhi chanda to buy them. As there were no storage facilities, fish curry was generally prepared at night.
“Other non-vegetarian items were prepared once in a blue moon. No lip smacking chilly chicken chicken 65, or the grilled ones. Only chicken thoran was in vogue” said chellamma(87).
Carrot beetroot cauliflower radish and cabbage were unheard of. They were known as English vegetables. Only the rich had the privilege to eat potato.
Once in a while tapioca is boiled along with salt and pepper. The hot stuff is heaped on plantain leaf and is taken along with pacha theeyal.
How about sumptuous meals?
They were made on auspicious days. The menu include cooked rice, spiced curries curd and pickles. AROUND 4 PM black tea/coffee is served ALONG WITH grilled sweet potato or banana chips.
For supper athazha kanji was prepared by boiling rice and green gram together. While serving scrapped coconut is added.
Now things have changed. WE offer glassful of colorful cool drinks instead of sambaram(diluted butter milk with salt, green chillies and curry leaves). Similar changes in food habits, with much intake of fat coupled with a lifestyle where one need not burn much calories is posing health problems.
Thattukada or fast food out fits thrive well these days, mainly people find lees time to cook.
Instant mixes, sell fast. They lessen the burden of cooking at the same time making the new generation less aware of the ingredients and its proportions.
Media too offer varieties of cuisines which help the readers and viewers to familiarize themselves with the food of different regions. Like music food too sans barriers.
In the years to come existing food habits become obsolete. New ones would take its place making the wheels of change ever moving.
