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Bhesanv tumcher poddum re!
From: www.goa-world.com team and associates Gulf-Goans e-Newsletter www.yahoogroups.com/group/gulf-goans/ October 4, 2004 | ||
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It is said that a housewife�s best place in the house is the kitchen and
that�s because in the olden days she spent the greatest part of her life in
a kitchen. Hence, the bigger a kitchen the happier a wife felt as it gave
her the freedom to move about in her own way. In the fifties and the
sixties kitchens were not as spacious as today�s kitchens, and were not
furnished with sophisticated electronic appliances. Life was commensurate with the environment. Here is the description of a general kitchen of yesteryears:
that�s because in the olden days she spent the greatest part of her life in
a kitchen. Hence, the bigger a kitchen the happier a wife felt as it gave
her the freedom to move about in her own way. In the fifties and the
sixties kitchens were not as spacious as today�s kitchens, and were not
furnished with sophisticated electronic appliances. Life was commensurate with the environment. Here is the description of a general kitchen of yesteryears:
Most people cooked on the floor but those who could afford to spend a little money, would build a small kitchen unit out of stones. The unit measured
approximately 5� in Length x 2�� Width x 3� Height. The top slab rested on three single stone walls � two on each side and one in the middle thus creating two storage compartments underneath on either side. While one compartment held �foddlelea zollovachim kanttiam� (big broken pieces of firewood) and �suke chirlele pidde� (cut-open dry coconut leaf stems), the other held �xirputtam� (small firewood sticks), �sonnam� (coconut husks) and �kott�tteo (coconut shells). All the firewood, including xirputtam, sonnam, chuddtam (coconut leaves), kott�tteo, etc. was stored in a �kolvachi khump� - a storage place made of bamboo and coconut leaves. Two tri-stone �chuli� (fireplaces) were usually installed on a slab.
Very few people had zinc utensils. Almost all of the kitchen utensils were
made of clay. Obviously, those were the potter�s days. Do you remember the good old saying �Kumbarak moddki dhodd nam?� Roughly translated it means that the potter supplies pots to everybody but does not have one for himself in good condition. Here are the names of utensils and other kitchen appliances that were used in those days:
�BUDKULO� � A small earthen pot used for preparing tea, cuzument (herbal medicine), etc.
�MODDKI� � A medium earthen pot used for cooking rice, canji (soft rice),
etc.
�MODDKO� � A large earthen pot used for warming water for the bath.
�MANON� � An earthen pot used for serving pez �canji.�
�TOULI� - A small earthen utensil used for preparing vegetables, curries,
etc.
�KUNNLLEM� � A medium earthen utensil mostly used for preparing curries and meat.
�TIZAL� � A large earthen utensil used especially for cooking large
quantities of sorpotel, roast meat, vindalo, etc., at weddings, feasts, etc.
�MALTULO� � A small earthen bowl.
�MALTI� � A large earthen bowl.
�KAIL� � A frying pan.
�KAILONTTO� � A wooden spatula used for scooping/lifting fish, meat, etc.
�TOVO� � A broken bottom piece of an earthen pot used for frying chapatti, kailoieo, etc. Those who could afford would buy a metal one.
approximately 5� in Length x 2�� Width x 3� Height. The top slab rested on three single stone walls � two on each side and one in the middle thus creating two storage compartments underneath on either side. While one compartment held �foddlelea zollovachim kanttiam� (big broken pieces of firewood) and �suke chirlele pidde� (cut-open dry coconut leaf stems), the other held �xirputtam� (small firewood sticks), �sonnam� (coconut husks) and �kott�tteo (coconut shells). All the firewood, including xirputtam, sonnam, chuddtam (coconut leaves), kott�tteo, etc. was stored in a �kolvachi khump� - a storage place made of bamboo and coconut leaves. Two tri-stone �chuli� (fireplaces) were usually installed on a slab.
Very few people had zinc utensils. Almost all of the kitchen utensils were
made of clay. Obviously, those were the potter�s days. Do you remember the good old saying �Kumbarak moddki dhodd nam?� Roughly translated it means that the potter supplies pots to everybody but does not have one for himself in good condition. Here are the names of utensils and other kitchen appliances that were used in those days:
�BUDKULO� � A small earthen pot used for preparing tea, cuzument (herbal medicine), etc.
�MODDKI� � A medium earthen pot used for cooking rice, canji (soft rice),
etc.
�MODDKO� � A large earthen pot used for warming water for the bath.
�MANON� � An earthen pot used for serving pez �canji.�
�TOULI� - A small earthen utensil used for preparing vegetables, curries,
etc.
�KUNNLLEM� � A medium earthen utensil mostly used for preparing curries and meat.
�TIZAL� � A large earthen utensil used especially for cooking large
quantities of sorpotel, roast meat, vindalo, etc., at weddings, feasts, etc.
�MALTULO� � A small earthen bowl.
�MALTI� � A large earthen bowl.
�KAIL� � A frying pan.
�KAILONTTO� � A wooden spatula used for scooping/lifting fish, meat, etc.
�TOVO� � A broken bottom piece of an earthen pot used for frying chapatti, kailoieo, etc. Those who could afford would buy a metal one.
�BANNXIREM� - A rag.
�NIUNNEM� � A thick ring made of hay on which earthen utensils were placed.
(Do you remember women�s hair styles of the early sixties - �Niunneacho
Xenddo� on the head?)
�KURPONN� � A lid made of bamboo to cover a buddkulo, moddki, moddko, etc.
(Do you remember the good old saying: �Tempa pormonnem matheak kurponnem?�
The last word is derived from the word �kurponn� which was available in
different sizes.
�KONNFO� � A rectangular wooden frame used for draining rice. Once the rice was cooked, the �xitachi moddki� (rice pot) was tilted and rice water
removed. A �kurponn� was placed on the opening of the �moddki,� then tilted and placed diagonally on the �Konnfo,� thus enabling the remaining water to fall into a poop-shaped earthen container also known as �konnfo.�
�FUNKPACHI NOLLI� � A small piece of metal pipe to blow on the fire in the �chul.�
�KODDIECHO DOULO� � A shallow ladle made of a coconut shell and a bamboo stick used for serving curries, vegetables, etc.
�XITACHO DOULO� � A hollow ladle made of a coconut shell and a bamboo stick used for serving rice. We had a house in Gaumvaddy, Anjuna, known as �DOULEAKARNIGHER�. It was so named because the family made �DOULE� on a big scale for sale.
�KULER� � A big spoon.
�KULERIN� � A small spoon.
�KANTTO� � A fork; was used for pricking roast meat.
�VATTLI� - A brass plate; it was available in three sizes - small, medium
and large.
�MANDD� � A round, flat wooden lid with a small handle; it was available in different sizes.
�PITTACHI MANND� � A round, slightly curved piece of wood around 10� in diameter with small feet underneath on which chapattis were rolled. Those
who could not afford to buy it would use a �bankin� (small flat wooden
stool) instead.
�LATTNNI� � A wooden cylinder about 16 inches long and an inch and half in diameter used for rolling chapattis. Those who could not afford to buy it
would use an empty glass bottle instead.
�ADOLLO� � A canoe-shaped metal device fixed to a wooden �bankin� type stool used for cleaning fish, cutting vegetables, meat, etc. In the olden days, whenever a person acted too great or spoke with pride, people would say: �Taka adollear ghalun sutti kortam,� meaning I am going to place him on an adollo and clean him like a fish or whatever! The tip of the �adollo� is round in shape with fine cuts. It is called �Kantollem� (a grater). It is used for grating coconut. The grating process is called �chun kantunk�.
�DONNDUL� � A medium earthen pot used for storing rice, wheat, etc.
�MATIECHEM BHANND� � A large earthen pot used for storing rice or paddy.
�TAMBEACHEM BHANND� - A large copper pot used for heating water.
�TAMBIEO� � A small copper container mainly used for collecting bath water from a �Moddko.� It was also used for carrying water to wash face in the morning. Another �tambieo� would be kept outside a kitchen, and this was solely used for carrying water to toilet. Those who could not afford to buy it made use of a �folin� (empty tin) instead.
�KODDO� � A barn used for storing paddy. It was located close to a kitchen.
�MUDDI� � A bundle of rice packed with plantain leaves from inside and held together with dry hay and �sumb� (coir rope) from outside. In the olden days, rice was supplied in a �muddi� (bundle.) Do you remember the �muddi� we make out of our bodies while we jump in wells on St. John the Baptist�s feast day? Well, it is derived from this word. The first person gives a straight jump in the middle of a well known as �sui� (needle). The second person then jumps with a �muddi� exactly on the bubble of water created by the �sui�. The act is called �bondd foddunk� (to break the bubble of water). Sometimes several people jump one after another on the same spot, provided the first person who jumps �sui� is able to remain under water for a long time. I am good at both � �sui� and �muddi.�
�GURGURET� � A water pot. Do you remember the line of one of the �Dekhnis�:
�Argureta, gurgureta, Jakin jemeta?�
�KOITO� � A machete; it is a must in a Goan kitchen because of its varied
usage.
�SURI� � A knife (was optional); everything was cut on an �adollo.�
�MATIS� � A match box; it was a must in a kitchen because without it one
couldn�t start a fire.
�GHASLETTICHO DIVO� � A kerosene lamp. It was the only source of light at night in those days.
�CHIMTTO� � A pincer used for removing anything that is placed in the
fire/ashes � dry fish, papad, nuts, etc. The elderly also used it for
removing a piece of burning charcoal from the �chul� to light their
�pamparo� (a handmade cigar made of tobacco leaves wrapped in a freshly fallen �ponnsacho folo� (jackfruit tree leaf).
�SUP� � A large dustpan-shaped kitchen appliance made of bamboo used for cleaning large quantities of grain.
�SUPLI�- a small dustpan made of bamboo used for gathering dirt.
�DHONNANCHEM KODHEM� � A large earthen container with a bulge in the middle.
It was always conveniently placed just outside the kitchen. Some people
would place it on a pedestal in order to keep it out of reach for dogs and
pigs. All the food waste from the kitchen including banana, mango,
pineapple peels would be dumped in this container. In the olden days, upon seeing a large woman with a paunch, people would remark: �Zalam polloi kodhem koxem!� (Look at her, she has become like a Kodhem), or �Kodhem koxem dista!� (She looks like a kodhem).
�KOLLSULI� � A small earthen or copper pot.
�KOLLSO�- A big earthen or copper pot.
�KONFRO� � A large copper container with a dome-shaped lid and a round plate with holes in the center on which to place things like �pudde,� �san�nam,� �sirvoieo,� etc.
�GHONNSUNNO� or �ROGDDO� � A large bowl-shaped granite block carved with a �varn� (hole) in the middle and used for grinding massala, rice, etc. In Mazalvaddo, Anjuna, next to the Bank of Baroda, we have a house known as �ROGDDEAGHER!�
�GHONNSUNNEACHO or ROGDDEACHO FATOR� � An ovoid-shaped granite piece made to fit the �varn� on the �ghonnsunno/rogddo�. The massala is filled in the �varn� and then �rogddo� is placed in it. The tip of the �rogddo� is held either with the left or right hand and rotated clockwise or anti clockwise; the friction grinds the massala.
�FATORN� � A flat granite slab used for grinding smaller quantities of
massala - available in different sizes. Its surface was also used for
scrubbing herbal roots on it in order to prepare local medicine.
�FATNICHO FATOR� � Cylindrical granite about a foot long and 3 inches in diameter which is held in both hands and pressed on the �fatorn� in order to grind massala on it.
�DANTEM� � A set of two grinding stones placed on each other used for
grinding wheat, rice, etc.
�VARN� � A round hole on the floor of a kitchen, about 6-7� in diameter and 7� deep into which rice is husked.
�MUSSOLL� � A round wooden beam approximately 6 feet high and 3� in diameter with a metal ring at the end used for husking rice. Husking was mostly done by two women, each with a �mussoll�. With every thrust of the �mussoll� into the �varn� they would murmur: �Xeu, Xeu, � Xeu, Xeu, - Xeu, Xeu �... This is how the famous �Xeu, Xeu Juana� Dekhni came about.
Kitchen utensils, plates, etc., were cleaned with �kato� (coconut husk) and
�gobor� (ash) from �chul.�
The utensils mentioned in this article may sound cheap but the food cooked in them tasted extraordinarily good. Surprisingly, many Five Star hotels today have reintroduced earthenware in their cuisine as an attraction to their customers. Surely, the credit goes to our ancestors!
For the convenience of a person working in a kitchen, the �Moddko� or
�Tambeachem Bhannd� in which bath water was heated, was also placed on a tri-stone in a corner of a kitchen so that the person could simultaneously man the fire. Since warm water was located in a kitchen, a �NAHANNI� (bathroom) was built next to hot water pot. It was made of stone walls � a square enclosure with an opening for entrance, and a little window above the pot to collect water from �moddko� or �tambeachem bhannd� with a �tambieo�.
Those who could not afford to buy a �tambieo,� made use of a �folin� for the
purpose. Some people placed a cloth curtain at the entrance of a �Nahanni� but most people left it uncovered because nobody would enter a kitchen during bathing time, and even if anyone entered, nobody would dare peep into a �Nahanni!� Since husband and wife are an exception to the rule, a wife would sometimes continue to do her cooking in the kitchen while her husband had bath and kept talking to him to give him company. Upon finishing his bath, he would take over her job and allow her to have bath, and the talk would continue. This mostly happened during a festival or occasional cooking.
Those who could not afford to build a �Nahanni,� would either erect a
temporary enclosure made of bamboo and coconut leaves just outside the
kitchen, or have bath in the open after it was pitch dark.
That�s all for now from Dom�s antique shelf!
Moi-mogan,
Domnic Fernandes
Anjuna/Dhahran, KSA
�NIUNNEM� � A thick ring made of hay on which earthen utensils were placed.
(Do you remember women�s hair styles of the early sixties - �Niunneacho
Xenddo� on the head?)
�KURPONN� � A lid made of bamboo to cover a buddkulo, moddki, moddko, etc.
(Do you remember the good old saying: �Tempa pormonnem matheak kurponnem?�
The last word is derived from the word �kurponn� which was available in
different sizes.
�KONNFO� � A rectangular wooden frame used for draining rice. Once the rice was cooked, the �xitachi moddki� (rice pot) was tilted and rice water
removed. A �kurponn� was placed on the opening of the �moddki,� then tilted and placed diagonally on the �Konnfo,� thus enabling the remaining water to fall into a poop-shaped earthen container also known as �konnfo.�
�FUNKPACHI NOLLI� � A small piece of metal pipe to blow on the fire in the �chul.�
�KODDIECHO DOULO� � A shallow ladle made of a coconut shell and a bamboo stick used for serving curries, vegetables, etc.
�XITACHO DOULO� � A hollow ladle made of a coconut shell and a bamboo stick used for serving rice. We had a house in Gaumvaddy, Anjuna, known as �DOULEAKARNIGHER�. It was so named because the family made �DOULE� on a big scale for sale.
�KULER� � A big spoon.
�KULERIN� � A small spoon.
�KANTTO� � A fork; was used for pricking roast meat.
�VATTLI� - A brass plate; it was available in three sizes - small, medium
and large.
�MANDD� � A round, flat wooden lid with a small handle; it was available in different sizes.
�PITTACHI MANND� � A round, slightly curved piece of wood around 10� in diameter with small feet underneath on which chapattis were rolled. Those
who could not afford to buy it would use a �bankin� (small flat wooden
stool) instead.
�LATTNNI� � A wooden cylinder about 16 inches long and an inch and half in diameter used for rolling chapattis. Those who could not afford to buy it
would use an empty glass bottle instead.
�ADOLLO� � A canoe-shaped metal device fixed to a wooden �bankin� type stool used for cleaning fish, cutting vegetables, meat, etc. In the olden days, whenever a person acted too great or spoke with pride, people would say: �Taka adollear ghalun sutti kortam,� meaning I am going to place him on an adollo and clean him like a fish or whatever! The tip of the �adollo� is round in shape with fine cuts. It is called �Kantollem� (a grater). It is used for grating coconut. The grating process is called �chun kantunk�.
�DONNDUL� � A medium earthen pot used for storing rice, wheat, etc.
�MATIECHEM BHANND� � A large earthen pot used for storing rice or paddy.
�TAMBEACHEM BHANND� - A large copper pot used for heating water.
�TAMBIEO� � A small copper container mainly used for collecting bath water from a �Moddko.� It was also used for carrying water to wash face in the morning. Another �tambieo� would be kept outside a kitchen, and this was solely used for carrying water to toilet. Those who could not afford to buy it made use of a �folin� (empty tin) instead.
�KODDO� � A barn used for storing paddy. It was located close to a kitchen.
�MUDDI� � A bundle of rice packed with plantain leaves from inside and held together with dry hay and �sumb� (coir rope) from outside. In the olden days, rice was supplied in a �muddi� (bundle.) Do you remember the �muddi� we make out of our bodies while we jump in wells on St. John the Baptist�s feast day? Well, it is derived from this word. The first person gives a straight jump in the middle of a well known as �sui� (needle). The second person then jumps with a �muddi� exactly on the bubble of water created by the �sui�. The act is called �bondd foddunk� (to break the bubble of water). Sometimes several people jump one after another on the same spot, provided the first person who jumps �sui� is able to remain under water for a long time. I am good at both � �sui� and �muddi.�
�GURGURET� � A water pot. Do you remember the line of one of the �Dekhnis�:
�Argureta, gurgureta, Jakin jemeta?�
�KOITO� � A machete; it is a must in a Goan kitchen because of its varied
usage.
�SURI� � A knife (was optional); everything was cut on an �adollo.�
�MATIS� � A match box; it was a must in a kitchen because without it one
couldn�t start a fire.
�GHASLETTICHO DIVO� � A kerosene lamp. It was the only source of light at night in those days.
�CHIMTTO� � A pincer used for removing anything that is placed in the
fire/ashes � dry fish, papad, nuts, etc. The elderly also used it for
removing a piece of burning charcoal from the �chul� to light their
�pamparo� (a handmade cigar made of tobacco leaves wrapped in a freshly fallen �ponnsacho folo� (jackfruit tree leaf).
�SUP� � A large dustpan-shaped kitchen appliance made of bamboo used for cleaning large quantities of grain.
�SUPLI�- a small dustpan made of bamboo used for gathering dirt.
�DHONNANCHEM KODHEM� � A large earthen container with a bulge in the middle.
It was always conveniently placed just outside the kitchen. Some people
would place it on a pedestal in order to keep it out of reach for dogs and
pigs. All the food waste from the kitchen including banana, mango,
pineapple peels would be dumped in this container. In the olden days, upon seeing a large woman with a paunch, people would remark: �Zalam polloi kodhem koxem!� (Look at her, she has become like a Kodhem), or �Kodhem koxem dista!� (She looks like a kodhem).
�KOLLSULI� � A small earthen or copper pot.
�KOLLSO�- A big earthen or copper pot.
�KONFRO� � A large copper container with a dome-shaped lid and a round plate with holes in the center on which to place things like �pudde,� �san�nam,� �sirvoieo,� etc.
�GHONNSUNNO� or �ROGDDO� � A large bowl-shaped granite block carved with a �varn� (hole) in the middle and used for grinding massala, rice, etc. In Mazalvaddo, Anjuna, next to the Bank of Baroda, we have a house known as �ROGDDEAGHER!�
�GHONNSUNNEACHO or ROGDDEACHO FATOR� � An ovoid-shaped granite piece made to fit the �varn� on the �ghonnsunno/rogddo�. The massala is filled in the �varn� and then �rogddo� is placed in it. The tip of the �rogddo� is held either with the left or right hand and rotated clockwise or anti clockwise; the friction grinds the massala.
�FATORN� � A flat granite slab used for grinding smaller quantities of
massala - available in different sizes. Its surface was also used for
scrubbing herbal roots on it in order to prepare local medicine.
�FATNICHO FATOR� � Cylindrical granite about a foot long and 3 inches in diameter which is held in both hands and pressed on the �fatorn� in order to grind massala on it.
�DANTEM� � A set of two grinding stones placed on each other used for
grinding wheat, rice, etc.
�VARN� � A round hole on the floor of a kitchen, about 6-7� in diameter and 7� deep into which rice is husked.
�MUSSOLL� � A round wooden beam approximately 6 feet high and 3� in diameter with a metal ring at the end used for husking rice. Husking was mostly done by two women, each with a �mussoll�. With every thrust of the �mussoll� into the �varn� they would murmur: �Xeu, Xeu, � Xeu, Xeu, - Xeu, Xeu �... This is how the famous �Xeu, Xeu Juana� Dekhni came about.
Kitchen utensils, plates, etc., were cleaned with �kato� (coconut husk) and
�gobor� (ash) from �chul.�
The utensils mentioned in this article may sound cheap but the food cooked in them tasted extraordinarily good. Surprisingly, many Five Star hotels today have reintroduced earthenware in their cuisine as an attraction to their customers. Surely, the credit goes to our ancestors!
For the convenience of a person working in a kitchen, the �Moddko� or
�Tambeachem Bhannd� in which bath water was heated, was also placed on a tri-stone in a corner of a kitchen so that the person could simultaneously man the fire. Since warm water was located in a kitchen, a �NAHANNI� (bathroom) was built next to hot water pot. It was made of stone walls � a square enclosure with an opening for entrance, and a little window above the pot to collect water from �moddko� or �tambeachem bhannd� with a �tambieo�.
Those who could not afford to buy a �tambieo,� made use of a �folin� for the
purpose. Some people placed a cloth curtain at the entrance of a �Nahanni� but most people left it uncovered because nobody would enter a kitchen during bathing time, and even if anyone entered, nobody would dare peep into a �Nahanni!� Since husband and wife are an exception to the rule, a wife would sometimes continue to do her cooking in the kitchen while her husband had bath and kept talking to him to give him company. Upon finishing his bath, he would take over her job and allow her to have bath, and the talk would continue. This mostly happened during a festival or occasional cooking.
Those who could not afford to build a �Nahanni,� would either erect a
temporary enclosure made of bamboo and coconut leaves just outside the
kitchen, or have bath in the open after it was pitch dark.
That�s all for now from Dom�s antique shelf!
Moi-mogan,
Domnic Fernandes
Anjuna/Dhahran, KSA
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