Palmyra delights

by Dishan Joseph

Sri Lanka is a country bestowed with wholesome cuisine. Each province displays a succulent variety of food that resonates with unique ingredients, flavours and methods of cooking. The cuisine of the Northern Province has fascinated me for years, as the food takes pride in being locally procured and showcases a methodically prepared array of homemade spices.

The Northern lands have a mix of dry monsoon and lush green zones that are conducive for cultivation. The small red onions, tamarind and red chilies that add much zest to Tamil cuisine grow in abundance here. Almost every household takes effort in maintaining a vegetable garden where one can see murunga(drumstick), egg plant, gourds, cucumber, lime and kohomba (veppam) trees. These are supplemented by banana and mango trees. The karutha kolumban mango remains a hit in Colombo even today. Houses with larger lands have coconut and palmyrah trees. The latter tree has come to symbolize the resilient nature of the people of this province. Many housewives show a keen interest in raring free range hens, ducks and goats. So basically many homes are nearly self sufficient with fresh ingredients and women go to the market to purchase seafood.

Creative

The Northern women folk must take due credit for being creative and resourceful cooks. Every meal is cooked at home with love. The women in many major cities, including Colombo make an excuse of not spending time in the kitchen as they have to go to office; thereby the city has seen the steady rise of pastry shops and mobile food vans. The women of Jaffna are also gainfully employed in Government jobs and as teachers. Yet, making breakfast, lunch and dinner is a routine they happily indulge in as wives and mothers.

Yaalpana unavu (Jaffna food) as it has come to be appreciated gently unleashes a perfect blend of spices into meals that sustain ones energy, given the heat of the province and the active lifestyle. There are many grains of rice, both white and red. We’ve all come to cherish the nandu (crab curry), kanavai (cuttle fish curry), goat meat curry, meen kulambu (fish curry) and kholiporiyal (fried chicken). The deep fried fish head is a personal favorite of mine! Another special dish somewhat despised by a few gourmets is made with pure goats blood. When a goat is beheaded the blood is collected in a bowl. It is mildly tempered on a low flame with garlic, red onions and spices and served as a varai. The karuvadu (dried fish) of Karainagar is splendid. Travelling in the Wanni you can take the risk of buying dried venison!

Enriched

An array of vegetables enriched with thick coconut milk adds to the joy of eating. All this can be washed down with a cup of steaming rasam. Dinner is a delightful affair where you can feast on thosai, iddli, string hoppers, paal appam (hoppers infused with sweetened coconut milk) and pittu. One must take note that piitu,appam and string hoppers came centuries ago from Kerala kitchens (Malayalam)to the North. The signature dish of Jaffna is Kool, a rich seafood broth that is mixed with odiyal flour and jackfruit seeds. One can try this amazing soup at the Tamil eating boutiques even at Wellawatte.

Recipes

The sweets of Jaffna have a healthy advantage, as they are not loaded with sugar and ghee and aren’t fried for long in coconut oil. Again there is an assortment of laddu and mothakam (dumplings) with a cup of payasam (sago). King amongst these sweet preparations is the rasavalikilangu (purple sweet yam) made into the consistency of custard. One may ponder the absence of alcohol in the dining habits of the Jaffna people. Palmyrah toddy displaying inconsistent levels of alcohol has been the desired drink in the villages for centuries. Yet habits are subject to change, and it doesn’t only stop with the toddy!

As mentioned before the cuisine of the North has remained quite steadfast adhering to ancient recipes. Today in the cities there is an influx of convenience food and readymade ingredients. Thus the stage has been commercially set for a mild invasion of the Tamil kitchen! Some shops in Jaffna have begun to serve noodles, pasta and cheese kottu.

The art of mixing spices like chili and coriander will be left behind. There are instant mixes for thosai, iddli and rasam that only require the addition of water. The dear ladies of Wellawatte have now become dependent on this!!It’s about time for Nelli crush to hit supermarket shelves in cans? The Jaffna cooks who were devoted to using gingerly oil are now frying fish in palm oil.

There is a rising demand for outside catering in both Colombo and Jaffna (which may steal the fellowship of joyous community cooking in the back gardens laden with gossip). Can a busy lifestyle justify all this change? It is interesting to note that the Tamil communities living overseas have been somewhat forced to adapt to the foods and cooking practices of those “microwave cuisine” nations. Of course one cannot expect a person rushing to catch the 6am metro train in Sydney to be making string hoppers and crab curry. Neither is an aspiring MBA student expected to be brewing a pot of odiya kool at Oxford.

Diaspora

One of the biggest changes in Diaspora cuisine (if such a culinary phrase exists) is the intake of beef in main course meals and fast food with red wines and craft beers. Some will deny this, but it is an increasing trend. Of course Beef Wellington and Fillet Mignon are choice cuts of meat. Fasts and food rituals affiliated with the Hindu calendar are being conveniently forgotten with the ‘4G’ lifestyle. Tamil men who have married ‘white women’ in Germany and France are also enjoying pork, a meat not eaten back in the peninsula. Having lived overseas I am aware of pious Hindu elders being bewildered at this change. Yet change is imminent in all facets of life. Some faithful souls still send spices by courier from Colombo to their daughters and daughters in law!

Today every national cuisine in the world is beginning to witness transformation and ‘fusion’ trends. It is certainly good to enjoy new food, but in this glorious eating frenzy it is easy to forget the tradition filled authentic food of one’s own culture.