Idli, Kadabu, Puttu, Mudde, Patoli… they’re all just a few types of steamed staple foods from Southern part of India. There are many such staples across the Indian Subcontinent and South-East Asia. For centuries (and in some cases, even for millennia), they have served the poor and the rich alike. These staples have not only nourished but also nurtured the people. They not only have a history, but also a cultural lineage that roots in many disciplines beyond the realm of culinary art. From social to mythological, economic to political, an individual to communal – stories or real, these staples bring a significance in shaping the course of our evolution.
One thing that is common to all these foods is its simplicity. They are simple to prepare and yet they demand total attention and presence of the cook preparing them. And, when any food is prepared with that amount of presence, it is bound to be also nurturing – it has a warmth to it! A food from an assembly line may not be able to achieve that warmth.
...the next time you have a chance to consume such a staple from any culture or civilisation, being present to its cultural lineage, its simplicity and its warmth will enhance the flavours more than its mere taste...
So, the next time you have a chance to consume such a staple from any culture or civilisation, being present to its cultural lineage, its simplicity and its warmth will enhance the flavours more than its mere taste, texture and consistency. If taste were to be determined as sensual or physical then flavours, in this context, are an experiential or of a meta domain. Such foods’ flavours lie in its essence, not in its physical form. To taste these flavours, one has to simply be…
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