CHATTUKAM -KANNAPPA –THAVI-SPOON Our kitchen requires these FOUR items in various sizes inthe kitchen. Earlier these appliances were made of bronze metal.
After Aluminium appeared, there was a partial conversion ofthese to Aluminium, with suitable thickness. But after stainless steel’sappearing, bronze, brass and aluminium have made almost a disappearance by themselves. Some times to include brass and bronze in SEER, iyers maybe selecting bronze or brass utensils. Recently I found in a vessels shop nicelooking brass Homa kkuzhal(Pipe to blow air to fire to increase flame). So these utensils inbronze or brass has not disappeared totally. Of the three KANNAPPA (skimmer thava) has more prominence.Rather than during frying, it is used while preparing rice and while servingrice. Our kitchens will have a number of these items with different thicknessand sizes as required. Earlier these items were suspended in stand and it was abeautiful scene to look at them in the kitchen. They were suspended accordingto length and size in rows. Now withmodular kitchen, after drying and wiping everything goes inside drawers. What is necessary only is taken from drawers. However still some keep modern stands to keep a few such items.At one time there were Stainless steel stands to keep minimum vessels and theseappliances. It was considered as beauty to kitchen. It has also almostdisappeared. These stands are available in different sizes in vessels shopsmostly purchased by those living in rented homes. I am not sure when did spoons appeared. But I haverecollection of seeing brass spoons even in my boyhood days. I am not sure howit was called earlier since spoon is an English word. Mostly small thavi (measuring thava) would have changed tospoon. We had very small thavi to take pickles, oils etc. on those days. Our UDDIRINI has appearance of a very small thava/spoon. For feasts on those days we had larger chattukammade of bronze and had wooden handle of above four feet length so that it couldbe conveniently used standing a little away from oven. They were so heavy oneperson could not carry more than three on shoulder. The speciality with these utensils are while coming todining area, they surely had a cousin- A PLATE. Rice was taken to a plate, and served using chattukam (spatula) orkannappa. All dishes, either semi liquidor liquid after taking in thavi, served using a plate, so that they would notspill. Even solid items like mezhukkupuratti is served taking in a plate andserved using chattukam. Now with dining table and keeping items in the middle ofthe table, in homes almost plate has disappeared in daily use under thava. Howeverwhen guests are there still plate is used. Dining table has top sheet whichcan easily swiped if any spilling occurs. A common practice now. For Shraddha items are invariably served now too USINGPLATE ONLY. Brass spatulais good. But many use stainless steel now. Thavi and chattukam are used as a measure also. Whiletaking food, many ask forhalf a chattukam more rice, half of thavi sambar etc. It was a practice on those days taking loans of two thavi velichenna(coconut oil), three thavi sugar etc and return back in days. Now a word loanfor such items is not there. If something is not there, it is purchased oraccommodated in some other manner. Now having miniature packing, loans ofkitchen items is almost eliminated. If shop is not open, the item requiring itis not prepared. Salt is not given as loan. Writer- R. Gopala Krishnan dated 2-3-2014. Reposted on 31-1-2021after editing and updating. R. Gopala Krishnan -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/1565226900.306065.1612104774343%40mail.yahoo.com.
