Wednesday, April 7, 2021

Flavors and Food (Banana Leaf Meals)

 In the very first book in Harry Potter, the children and we readers come across Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans . It is a mix of jelly beans of every possible flavor from wonderful ones like Blueberry to cringe-worthy yucky flavors like grass, earwax and vomit(I made a face too when I read about them!!) . Poor Dumbledore is pretty unlucky with the flavors that he ends up getting.

Chocolate Frogs are a common occurrence in all the books in the series. I am not sure if I would take a fancy if my candy had the shape of a toad!

I love to cook and I love food too! I am a vegetarian but I love trying out new things in my kitchen and exploring different venues to have an adventure with my taste buds!

  • Steaming Jasmine rice with Thai Green Curry and a spicy mango salad on the side
  • Pasta cooked nicely in a creamy mushroom white sauce
  • Dumplings in soups and fried rice and noodles stir fried nicely in a big wok
  • Baby tomatoes, crisp lettuce leaves, cucumber and carrot pieces tossed together with pineapple slices and a dash of lime
  • French fries and yoghurt and chocolate brownies 
  • And of course everything Indian
Speaking of which, Indian food has been popularized all over the world as mainly Tandoori - Naan, Roti with dal and gravy. But that cuisine is specific to a few states and  India is as diverse in its food as anything else. Every state and region has its own unique delicacies depending on the vegetation, climate, the geographical position and a whole lot of other factors.

The food eaten in the South of India is quite different from some of the states towards the North. The states that are coastal have their own cuisine. What significantly differentiates us is whether we eat more of rice or wheat!

I belong to the South of India and we are mainly rice eaters! To begin with the climate and the soil conditions makes growing rice more feasible. Do you know the type of rice we eat differs from state to state?

Dosa , Idli, Pongal and Vada our main tiffin(light meals) items mainly made using rice and lentils.

Our full fledged meal is what is referred to in some parts of Asia "Banana Leaf Meals"

The main item is rice. A three course meal is achieved by mixing the rice with three different accompaniments - sambar(a curry made with lentil, tamarind and vegetables ), rasam(a soup like dish generously spiced up with pepper and cumin) and curd. Along with this there would be some vegetable dishes on the side. Depending upon the grandeur of the occasion or whether its a simple home meal, the number and variety of sides would vary.

The food is served on a banana leaf and eaten with our hands and that is an art we learn as a child. It is very environment friendly and hygienic. In homes we have moved to plates but in weddings and functions food will be served on banana leaves. 


                               Image source: wikimedia commons

We make use of each and every part of the banana plant in our culture. We eat the fruit, the stem and the flower(Oh yes it has a flower). Cutting the banana flower is an art in itself which warrants a separate post by itself. We use the leaves to serve our food or pack the food. We use the fibers running on its stem as strings to make garlands with our flowers. 

You can check out on youtube for videos on Vazhaipoo (Banana flower) and you would be surprised. 


22 comments:

  1. That list of your favourite food combos has me salivating.
    I love banana leaf meals and do tend to overeat when I go out for one.

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    1. Yes it's tough not to overeat but when people were having only two meals a day in the traditional style it served the purpose

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  2. My mouth is watering too and how cool to use a banana leaf for a plate. What do you use banana flowers for? I had to google an image, they definitely are a unique flower. (Hey you used FLOWER) ♥ adding to my scavenger hunt list. Cheers,
    Crackerberries

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    1. Oh did I ?? We consume banana flowers as a food item... when you peel off the covers you have tiny flowers visible that we eat like a vegetable....cutting it is an art as I said :)

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  3. I've visited India many times and eating from a banana leaf with my fingers is something I love to do, particularly in South India where I found my favourite Indian foods. So, looks like it'll be a take-away curry tonight but from a plate not a leaf!

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    1. That's nice to know .... My own children fancy cutlery these days and I have been trying to instil the habit of eating with their hands ....

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  4. What a lovely introduction to banana leaf meals! I love the idea, and the foods you mentioned sound wonderful.

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  5. As Arti said, I am craving for 'sadya' (banana leaf meal) now! Banana leaf adds to the flavour of the items and payasams taste awesome on banana leaf than in a cup or glass! Loved your delicious post, Jayashree!

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    1. I agree especially paal payasam and then when you add curd rice on the same plate there is a tinge of sweetness that cannot be made possible in any other way ....

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  6. This reminds me a little of an Italian Antipasto. My husband is half Italian and loves this type of meal - a little bit of everything. I'm sure he would enjoy a banana leaf meal. So many delicious flavors all on one environmentally friendly "plate". Weekends In Maine

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    1. Antipasto was a new term for me... Thanks for that ...interesting concept but it is followed by pasta is it ? A banana leaf meal can be not very spicy and pretty delicious too

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  7. Incredible post...so vivid and evocative. My favorite south Indian restaurant near my home has closed its sumptuous buffet during the pandemic. But after reading this, I will investigate takeout. https://mollyscanopy.com/

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    1. Sadly many restaurants and chains had to close down due to the pandemic .... Go for the ones with good reviews .... in the restaurants in India this is sometimes ended with a dollop of icecream and a banana ( as if there would be any space left)

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  8. I love south Indian food served on a banana leaf.. and your article made me crave for it..

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  9. Thai Curry is among my favorite foods, and luckily we get some decent products at our supermarket, so I can make some at home while our restaurants are still closed.

    Your banana leaf dish looks so creative and unique. Thank you for sharing!

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  10. Alas! Earwax!

    That banana leaf meal looks amazing.

    David - @BreakerOfThings from
    Fiction Can Be Fun
    Saying hello as part of the #A2ZChallenge

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  11. I love traditional vegetarian telugu dishes! I wouldn't touch the bertie bott's every flavour beans! I wouldn't mind a choc frog though

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  12. Only my school and college days were in Kerala. The richness of the spread during a typical Kerala lunch is something very very unique.

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  13. Oh dear dear, you have me drooling especially on your adventure dishes! I miss the street food big time man, with this current lockdown situation. Never thought I could survive without those, but what do you know!

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  14. It was a long time before we found a reliable source of idli & dosa herein the southeast of England, but as they also do excellent vada & pongal, I was in heaven. It was an abiding memory of our time spent with grandparents in the south. My father always said that if he was ever to be vegetarian, all the food would have to be Indian and I think he was absolutely right.

    A-Zing from Fiction Can Be Fun
    Normally found at Debs Despatches

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    1. Feels good reading that as I am an Indian but generally I have tried other cuisines as well and there is more than enough to explore within the vegetarian realm

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