In case you are wondering what i am making in this hot,sunny April morning, let me tell you..i am trying to make one of the very popular and local summer delicacy , that is sago potato chakli.
While making it one question came in my mind..What reminds us more of our childhood summer vacations?
Long holidays ,chilled kulfi/ice creams , visit to our grandparents house,mangoes,Indoor games , swimming, family vacations,summer camps,afternoon naps,reading novels,playing with friends etc.
All these things were important part of our summer vacations. Apart from this one more thing reminds me of the summer,that is Making of various summer delicacies.
Even now in small towns it's a common thing in every Maharashtrian household to make sundried summer delicacies like different papad, sandage,kurdayi, pickles, chakli,murabba, masala etc.
But over the time we can see it is becoming rare in big cities as women are more bussy with their jobs and other responsibilities and really don't get time for making all these time consuming things. Another thing is that everyone has become diet conscious so mostly avoid deep fried things nowadays. Besides that we get all these delicacies in supermarkets easily...they are available and its easy to buy them.
But still I feel there is no match for Homemade delicacies. They are much more healthy and hygienic than packaged ones. We can maintain proper hygiene at home while preparation and use good quality oil and spices. Many vegetables and fruits are seasonal and not available whole year so we make different delicacies from such veggies and fruits and store them so that we can enjoy their taste and flavour whenever we feel like for example Mango,Amla,jackfruit etc. since primitive age we know the art of preserving various vegetables,meat and fruits by use of different preserving agents.
Different vegetables are marinated with spices then sundried and stored for a whole year.
I remember my Nani used to make all these delicacies with lot of enthusiasm. She used to get up very early morning and I could see her doing all the preparations with other ladies of household and even neighbouring ladies.
In small towns today also it is an important event where all the women staying nearby gather together and help each other in making all the summer delicacies. They roll different types of papad together and enjoy making all the delicious stuff in each other's company. In rural areas where there is no concept like kitty or other get togethers, these kind of activities make them socialise a little with other women, talk and share some moments together. I remember seeing my grandmom and then my mom making all walvan/summer delicacies every summer and I often used to participate in that. The process of making sago papad and potato chips was my favourite. Sago papad ,chakli and chips are mainly eaten during fast so my mother used to take lot of care while making them. I remember how me and my sister used to run towards teracce hiding from my mom to eat half dried chips and papad soaking in the sun. What fun it was!!
In today's metropolitan era and flat culture these things have become rare. Its really sad that home made delicacies are getting replaced by frozen and packaged food.
It's now proven by dieticians that eating pickle with meal can boost the probiotic content of any meal you eat, so its good to prepare it with good and hygienic things at home. Mango pickle..lemon pickle,dates pickle, mix vegetable pickles are good for kids than different sauces and ketchups of market. And home made vermicilli which is made from wheat is always better for kids than ready made noodles.
Different home made papad such as Ragi papad, Jowar papad,Moong and Urad papad, Rice papad can be a good evening snack or starter before dinner , if you want to avoid oil,you can roast them on gas or in microwave. I still remember my nani used to make wonderful homemade tomoto ketchup for us as she never liked us having tomato ketchup purchased from the market. Its all about what you want to eat and how you want to get it. Our traditional Indian cuisines are the best and they have huge nutritional value.
Nothing can beat the homemade delicacies , so if you have time and space this summer do try to make these summer delicacies at home...involve your kids, spouse,friends and other family members in the process of preparation. It will give knowledge to your kids about our traditional food culture, about the process of making and storing it for whole year, about your small efforts to give them good quality of homemade food , and trust me whenever you will make it for them they will enjoy every bite with lot of satisfaction.
No comments:
Post a Comment