Pranam
The theme on 14th sept by G made SPICY
1 There is nothing to get shocked, about India; and all such are seen
through out the world; I got a shock when I saw the traffic irregularity,
on the streets of New York; Australian driving and over takings surprised
me; Singapore flow of traffic is well regulated but the vehicles may not
have controls, once a small crossing by a small pet does occur; BON express
way of Germany is too good, but the curves go haywire; hence the vehicles
do cause a nightmare; and in India it is a cluster; but people are used to
it also, which I wonder, how?.
2 Where Did the Idli Come From?
Food historian K.T. Achaya reckons that the idli could have come to
India around 800-1200 CE from present day Indonesia, a part of which was
then ruled by Hindu kings belonging to the Shailendra, Isyana and Sañjaya
dynasties. In fact, idli is very similar to a preparation called the kedli
there and Indian cooks from the royal household may very well have returned
home with the recipe.
Achaya also notes that a form of idli known as iddalage is mentioned
in a 920 CE Kannada language work, Vaddaradhane by Shivakotiacharya.
Similar recipes have also been found in later writings, such as the
Sanskrit Manasollasa written by King Someshvara III in 1130 CE which
details a recipe called iddarika. But the three elements of modern idli
making are missing in these references: use of rice grits along with urad
dal, the long fermentation of the mix, and steaming the batter for
fluffiness.
These origins are debated by food historian Lizzie Collingham who
claims a different origin for the dish. Based on references available at
the Al-Azhar University Library in Cairo, Collingham suggests that Arab
traders in the Southern belt brought in the idli when they married and
settled down.
According to Encyclopaedia of Food History, edited by her and TV-chef
Gordon Ramsay (Oxford University Press) and Seed to Civilisation -The Story
of Food by Heiser Charles B (Harvard University Press), the Arab settlers
were said to be strict in their dietary preferences and insisted on halaal
(food and drink permissible or lawful in traditional Islamic law) food.
They started to make rice balls as a safe option, to avoid any confusion.
These rice balls would be slightly flattened and eaten with bland coconut
gravy. These rice cakes are said to have tasted quite different from the
idlis we eat today.
Gujarati historians believe that it was Saurashtrian textile
merchants who introduced idli to *South India during the 10th and 12th
centuries*. There are even claims that a mix of rice and black gram ground
together and later steamed to form cakes had its origins in Gujarat.
But despite the confusion over its origins, idli is today one of the
most popular preparations in India and over the years has inspired many
variants. *New Delhi: *March 30, 2021, is been celebrated as World Idli
Day every year. The day was first observed in 2015. It is the brainchild of
Eniyavan, a popular idli-only caterer from Chennai. He made 1,328 varieties
of idlis and a 44-kilogram idli that was cut by a top bureaucrat to declare
March 30 as World Idli Day. The delicious South Indian steamed rice cake is
served with hot sambhar and a variety of mouth-watering chutneys.
Idlis are very healthy. They are easily digestible and can be eaten
by children and adults of all ages. This is because the fermentation
process breaks down the rice and dal into simple compounds. Fermentation
also introduces good bacteria to the batter. This makes the dish act as a
probiotic and also help boost immunity. In addition, idlis are rich sources
of nutrients such as phytic acids, vitamin B, vitamin K, iron, and zinc.
However, it has a low level of fats and carbohydrates. This makes it the
ideal food for weight loss. It offers plenty of protein, fiber, and
carbohydrates. In fact, when you consume one single idli, you get two grams
of protein and fiber and eight grams of carbohydrates. It is also filled
with iron content. Plenty of choices From rava idli, ragi ...
Have you heard, *bubble tea? *It is a popular drink which found
its origin in Taiwan around 1980s. It has now gaining popularity the world
over. This unusual name comes due to its ingredients. Bubble tea is also
called pearl milk tea. The ‘Bubbles' refer to the round and jelly-like
Tapioca pearls that are added to the drink. Ice is often blended into this
drink giving it a slushy or smoothie consistency.
3 VEDIC FOOD: Again I have to go to K T Acharya professor Illinois
southern University researcher on food; he had analysed our vedic foods;”
In the Vedic period, knowledge, prayers, religious songs, and poems were
written, which came to beknown as Vedas. The Vedas are an important class
of religious texts in Indian literature. The four Vedas, namely Rigveda,
Samaveda, Yajurveda, and Atharva veda, *describe different cereal grains
andtheir use in* our daily life. Aryans believed that food was not simply
meant for body nourishment, but was the basic part of a cosmic moral cycle
Barley (R V opening) became the Aryans' initial staple food, and is also
mentioned in the Rigveda. Later texts mention wheat, lentils, millets, and
sugarcane. The most popular lentils used were red lentils, green lentils,
and black lentils. Apopains a form of cake prepared by frying barley.
Kichadi made from rice together with lentils ordains highly nutritious.
Aryans knew about rice cultivation; parched rice and cereals were a common
method of processing during their period. Lentils and rice were the
combinations of complementary nutritional elements consumed by Aryans. The
literature of Buddhists and Jains reveal the extensive use of rice and its
gruel.
During the Jain period, cloth was soaked in milk and dried to yield
a reconstituted product called kholas. Traditionally, Indian foods are
classified into three main categories.
1 Cooked vegetables, milk, fresh fruits, and honey are meant for the
truly wise and are considered as Satvika foods.
2 Foods that bring out the lowest, crass qualities of human behaviour
such as meat, liquor, garlic, and spicy and sour foods are classified as
Tamasika foods.
3 Foods that give enough energy to carry out daily work are categorized
as Rajsika foods. (B G Chap 17, & 18 discusses on food 5000 years ago).
Aryans classified food materials on the basis of their nature and use
such as Sukhadhanya(cereals), Samidhanya (pulses), Phala (fruits), Shakna
(vegatables),Payovarga (milk products), Madhyavarga (alcoholic beverages)
and Mamasavarga (animal products) .Food is specific to season. India has
six different seasons, namely vasanta ritu(spring),grishma
ritu(summer),varsha ritu(monsoon),sharad ritu(autumn),hemanta ritu(fall
winter), and sishira ritu(winter). Studying and knowing about seasons is
important to make an efficient diet plan for an individual.
Beginning with Yajurveda, the three pulses urad (Vigna mungo), mung
(Vigna radiata), and masoor (Lens culinaris) were the most commonly used
grain legumes. All grains have good calorific value, largely from starch
and proteins. Some of the grains exhibit antinutritional properties such as
the presence of trypsin inhibitors. Traditional pro-cessing techniques such
as fermentation, soaking, and cooking help to remove these antinutritional
factors. In view of health, resistant starch received attention because of
its potential health benefits and functional properties. Many traditional
Indian grain products may contain higher amounts of resistant starches
because of higher proportions of whole grain ingredients and less intensive
processing. Some of the traditional grain-based health foods with their
functional and health benefits are discussed below.
2.1. Idli Idliis a fermented product prepared from rice and black gram
batter by steam cooking .Idliis a white coloured, small, round, and spongy
product. In 1485 and 1600 CE, idli was compared to the moon, which suggests
that rice was in use. Use of rice along with pulses is necessary as a
source of mixed natural microflora needed for efficient fermentation. Black
gram (Phaseolus mungo.L.) is the primary ingredient having natural
fermentation micro-flora and acts as the substrate for the fermentation of
batter. Sour buttermilk is also used as a source of microorganisms. Black
gram and rice are used in the ratio of 1:2 during batter preparation.
4 GREEN CHILLI AND China: Well, it is not as though all European
cuisine is chilli-free. When Indians say ‘chilli’, we think of the hot red
chilli that is a distinctive feature of our cuisine. But the chilli family
is vast (there may be thousands of varieties) so it extends far beyond the
red chilli. The Hungarians are proud of the paprika, the chilli that is the
mark of their cuisine. The Spanish love chillies. The Pimiento de Padrón –
a bright-green chilli from the town of Padrón in Northeast Spain – has
travelled around the world in recent decades as part of the global tapas
craze. The famous paprika of Hungary is really an Indian chilli and is
closely related to the Kashmiri mirch. In Indian food (if it is done
right!) the chilli is just one of the many flavouring ingredients. All of
our other spices are native to India. Centuries ago, we were especially
proud of our pepper. Not only did it provide the heat in Indian cuisine, it
was so popular in Europe that we would export it to Rome, Venice and other
European trading centres where it fetched an enormous premium. When
Christopher
Columbus set sail, he was not looking for America, but for India and its
spices. When he landed in what we now know was South America, he was so
confused that he called the people he encountered ‘Indians’. He also
thought that the chilli they used in cooking was a kind of pepper, creating
a second confusion in nomenclature that persists to this day. Even
food historian K. T. Achaya, who usually managed to find South Indian
origins for all of the world’s foods, was forced to concede that till
Columbus got to America and thought that he had discovered a new kind of
pepper, nobody in India had the slightest idea what a chilli was. “There is
no mention whatsoever of the chilli in Indian literature before the 16th
century,” he noted, perhaps a little sadly. As Achaya also pointed out, no
Indian language had a word for chilli and when it did finally reach our
shores, we fell back on Columbus-like confusions with pepper: mirch in
Hindi and milagu and milagai in Tamil, for instance. Nobody has any exact
record of the arrival of the chilli in India, but it is believed that the
Portuguese fleet commanded by Vasco da Gama brought seeds for the plant to
Goa. This is where they were first planted, and they then spread to Bombay
where they were called Gova Mirch. According to Collingham, the chilli
export was controlled by the Turks who bought chillies from the west coast
of India and took them to Black Sea ports and their own country and from
there, to Northern Europe – England, Germany, Holland, etc. This is what
led many Europeans to regard the chilli (which is actually a vegetable) as
just another Indian spice, a belief that still persists. Moreover, says
Collingham, the Turks introduced the chilli to Hungary when they conquered
it. So the famous paprika of Hungary is really an Indian chilli. (In
botanical terms, it is closely related to the Kashmiri mirch or the Bedgi
chilli of South India.) So while colonialists may well have introduced a
South American flavour to our cuisine, the genius of India lies in the way
we made it our own and gave it to other cuisines, to countries where nobody
had heard of Columbus or Vasco da Gama. HENCE WHAT WAS MISSING IN ASIA
WAS MISSING IN CHINA TOO. There is a similar problem with the chilli and
China. It is hard to think of Sichuan cuisine without the chilli. But who
brought the chilli to Sichuan? One theory is the standard “European traders
brought it with them” version, but Sichuan is not on the coast. So, which
European traders got there and how and when? A second theory is that it
reached overland, perhaps via Burma which, to me at least, seems a little
more convincing.
KR IRS 14921
On Tue, 14 Sept 2021 at 08:27, 'gopala krishnan' via iyer123 <
iyer...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> *CULTURAL QA 09-2021-14*
>
> *Being compilation there may be errors*
>
> *Q1 As a visitor from abroad, what shocked you the most about
> India?*
>
> *A1 Ben Allen I have been to India 5 times now and love the
> country and its people.Updated January 21, 2018*
>
> *I’ve had the honour of visiting India several times now. And love India
> and Indians.*
>
> *Despite having visited some 30 or so different countries now, the biggest
> cultural shocks in India for me include: *
>
> *This beggar girl living on the streets that I photographed. I keep it on
> my office wall to remind me to be grateful for what I have.*
>
> *And when I wound down the window a little to give her some rupees she
> grabbed the window and wouldn’t let go, the crafty girl! ;) *
>
> *Entire families on motorbikes, weaving in and out of the traffic, not a
> helmet to be seen.*
>
> *(This and the following images are from the internet though if I searched
> my photo archives I have similar ones) *
>
> *Your traffic cows! I’m pretty sure that cows were not designed to live
> inches from the traffic but what does a foreigner like me know? *
>
> *Animal Ambulances*
>
> *I’m sure they exist in other countries, I just kept seeing these in
> India! *
>
> *Tolerance for weird but honoured tourists. - such as me. Like the time a
> hotel security guard calmly escorted me up 17 flights of stairs, in Monsoon
> heat and no air conditioning in the (emergency) stairwells - since I
> couldn’t take an elevator on my Sabbath. Without the slightest sign of
> annoyance. *
>
> *But most of all, its the traffic. Indian drivers are, I am convinced, the
> best drivers in the world. I still sometimes cannot look out the front
> window of a car in India… at least not when Indian driving gets hectic and
> 2 clearly marked traffic lanes mysteriously somehow become 6 lanes of
> traffic of all shapes and sizes of vehicles - all weaving in and out at
> speed as soon as the slightest gap opens, avoiding fearless pedestrians,
> cows and potholes. Truly not for the tourist faint of heart.*
>
>
>
> *Q2 What is the history behind Idli?*
>
> *A2 Tanav Kolar Flipping through the pages of History.
> September 8*
>
> *Idli is a kind of rice cake eaten primarily in the southern parts of
> India. It is served generally with a coconut Chutney and Sambhar. Though it
> is usually associated with the South, Idli is famous all across India and
> Sri Lanka.*
>
> *Idli with Sambhar and Chutney.*
>
> *History*
>
> *Unlike other famous delicacies like Vada and Dosa, Idli doesn’t have a
> very long history. The first mentions of a dish similar to Idli called
> iddalige, can be found in the Vaddaradhane a 920CE Kannada language work by
> Shivakotiacharya.*
>
> *A woman served eighteen different dishes to a brahmachari who visited her
> home. Idli being one of them. But the recipe of Idli eaten during that time
> was very different than the one we all acknowledge as Idli today.*
>
> *In the 10th century CE, according to the description of the poet
> Chavundaraya, Idli was made in the following manner. Black gram was soaked
> in buttermilk and then ground finely into a paste. This mixture was then
> mixed with the clear water of curd along with ground coriander, cumin,
> asafoetida and black pepper. The mixture was then shaped into roundels.*
>
> *Clockwise from top: Black gram (Urad), Buttermilk, black pepper,
> asafoetida, cumin and ground coriander.*
>
> *Manasollasa (1130 CE) a Sanskrit-language work by the Chalukyan king
> Someshvara III , suggests a similar dish by the name of iḍḍarikā.*
>
> *The recipes mentioned in these texts are devoid of three key aspects of
> the modern Idli - the use of rice, long fermentation of the batter and
> steaming as a procedure for cooking Idli.*
>
> *The Chinese traveler, Xuan Zang, clearly states that in the 7th century
> Indians did not know the use of the steamer. This raises an important
> question, how did the modern Idli come to India?*
>
> *According to culinary historian, KT Acharya[1] , a dish similar to Idli
> was developed in Indonesia called kedli. Kedli used to be prepared with
> rice, the mixture was fermented and steam cooked.*
>
> *From 800–1200 A.D many Hindu kings ruled Indonesia who came to India to
> meet their relatives on holidays or to find brides. These kings used to
> have Indian chefs who brought kedli to India. The modern recipe of
> preparing Idli was derived from kedli when these royal cooks prepared the
> dish in India.*
>
> *This is how the light, soft, fluffy and bright Idli found their way onto
> our plates today. Today, the use of urad dal along with rice, fermentation
> and steaming are the important parts of Idli making.*
>
> *Q3 I don't really understand the point of trams. Why are
> they on their own rails and even built if they get stuck in traffic the
> same way buses do?*
>
> *A3 Steven Haddock Lives in Toronto, ON (1959–present)
> September 7 *
>
> *Buses are notoriously difficult to drive because their rear wheels don’t
> follow the front ones, so they have to take wide turns. Trams running on
> rails don’t have this problem, so it’s easier to train operators. *
>
> *Trams can carry more weight than buses because their suspensions are
> simpler, largely because there’s no side-to-side movement or rough
> surface. *
>
> *That also means trams are smoother and provide a more comfortable ride,
> even at higher speeds. *
>
> *Buses are almost impossible to extend. You can use articulated buses, but
> they’re even harder to drive than regular buses. You can string three or
> four tram cars together with no problem to increase capacity without having
> to hire new drivers.*
>
> *As a result, tram routes tend to have higher capacity than bus routes,
> and people prefer to ride them instead of buses.*
>
> *Q4 What recipe dishes did they eat in the vedic period of
> ancient India?*
>
> *A4 Rami Sivan Priest, Dharma teacher, counsellor, Gov.
> Advisor (1998–present) Sat*
>
> *I cannot recall any recipes being given in any of the Vedic literature
> apart from the making of items like caru = boiled rice or barley, or
> puroḍaśa which were cakes of flour and water and sometimes meat which were
> baked on clay shards and offered as oblations into the sacred fire.*
>
> *As far as I know the earliest recorded recipes were mentioned in the
> Agamas where specific preparations were to be made for specific deities at
> specific times.*
>
> *Some examples are as follows:-*
>
> *Pānakam - Equal volumes of yoghurt and water with crushed pepper and salt
> and powdered jaggery.*
>
> *Paramānna — rice cooked with milk, ghee, jaggery*
>
> *Pāyasam — green gram, rice, ghee and milk 4 x the vol of rice. (Coconut
> milk can be used instead of cow’s milk.*
>
> *Gūḍānna — rice cooked with jaggery*
>
> *Mudgānna — rice and green gram cooked together*
>
> *Dadhyodana — rice mixed with curds.*
>
> *Kṣarānna — green gram with banana, jack-fruit, mango and jaggery*
>
> *Citrānna - known as tamarind-rice (which is my favourite) - it is still
> cooked in the same way in South India temples. The recipe is given here
> (the original recipe does not include chillies which were an import of the
> Portuguese - the original item as a local product called pippali.) ......*
>
> *Q5 How could the exposed pipes that ruin the furnishings of
> our beautiful home be covered?*
>
> *A5 Gopala Krishnan, former Assistant General Manager
> 1996-2004 at Department of Telecom (1966-2004) Answered just now*
>
> *If well planned it can be made concealing, provided good insulation is
> given from concealed power cables as done in the inside.*
>
> *Q6 How do I clean an easier tip of the kitchen sink?*
>
> *A6 Gopala Krishnan, former Assistant General Manager
> 1996-2004 at Department of Telecom (1966-2004)Answered just now*
>
> *I cannot understand the difficulty of cleaning kitchen sink. Every day
> after cleaning vessels servant cleans the sink. In the night either me or
> wife cleans the sink, make a rough wash and keep used vessels for servant’s
> fine cleaning*
>
> *Neat cleaning of clogged line , if any is set right if complicated by
> workers*
>
> *Q7 Why aren't green chillies used in Chinese cuisine?*
>
> *A7 Huijian Wu CTO (2005–present)August 28*
>
> *I think it's because you've never been to China. Chinese food uses a lot
> of green chillies in it. I have seen Chinese food where green chillies
> outnumber red chillies.*
>
> *Red chillies are usually used in Chinese food as a garnish to add
> aesthetics. There is also a small red pepper that is very hot and can be
> used to add spice*
>
> *Q8 What’s something new you learned today?*
>
> *A8 Shubham Jain Blogger, Reader, Technologist Thu*
>
> *I took a WiFi connection in August with a plan of 799/- per month and the
> person from whom I took the connection asked me to pay an advance of 2000
> INR (1000 for installation and 1000 for the advance bill payment including
> GST). I paid the advance and in few days the complete WiFi setup was done.*
>
> *Now yesterday when I received the August month bill the deposit that
> should be paid was only 799/- and not the GST, and that also was not paid.
> I went to the WiFi office to meet the guy and he said that they only
> suppose to pay the actual 1 monthly deposit i.e. 799/- and not the GST. So
> when I asked that I paid you 1000/- for bill payment he said the billing is
> like that only that they take 2000/- as advance and they should be paying
> only the 1 month advance excluding GST.*
>
> *The owner of that WiFi office was standing there and hearing all the
> conversation and I told him also all these things. He is a nice guy and
> told me that as they did not deposit the advance money so now they will be
> paying the August month bill. I have to give him the extra amount other
> than 799/- from the bill and in that he gave me some concession.*
>
> *Now what I learned from this incident is whenever there is money involved
> you should ask everything in writing and don’t pay the money in advance if
> you don’t know how much and where that money will be going.*
>
> *Q9 Why are British kitchens in the basement?*
>
> *A9 3 AnswersLili, Cultural HistorianAnswered 38m ago*
>
> *When large 19th century houses were built, designed to be fully staffed,
> the kitchen would be ‘below stairs’ and the cook would prepare the meals
> for the family which would be brought up by the staff or by the ‘dumb
> waiter’ food lift to be served in the formal dining room. The householder
> would not expect to do any cooking themselves. Often the construction was
> fireproof since cooking was still high risk, either as solid fuel or gas.*
>
> *Modern houses have the kitchen as part of the living accommodation on the
> ground floor.*
>
> *2ND ANSWER-P Furth, lives in The United KingdomAnswered 30m ago*
>
> *We have two kitchens, one on the ground floor and one on the yet to be
> dug out basement.*
>
> *Simple answer -not everyone has a basement in the UK. Many properties in
> the big cities are old as in a few hundred years old. Made back when posh
> town houses had staff and the kitchen was in the basement as it was both
> out of the way and often accessible without the need of the staff to go
> through the house. Often in bigger houses the servants area had several
> rooms, servant sleeping areas were usually in there or in the attic space
> and accessed by a staircase not used in the main house. That way the
> household only saw them when wanted.*
>
> *3RD ANSWER-Joshua Albert, Avid home cook and BBQer Answered 26m ago*
>
> *I grew up in England. We lived in several homes - none of which had
> basements. None of my friends homes had basements. Some really old houses
> might have cellars - but not finished basements.*
>
> *Q 10 Is the number of people who lack wisdom teeth growing? If
> yes, why? If being unable to grow wisdom teeth doesn't give you
> evolutionary advantages, what causes the DNA mutation suppressing the
> development of wisdom teeth to spread and become dominant?*
>
> *A10 Matt Riggsby, MA Archaeology, Boston University Answered
> Fri*
>
>
> *Human jaws are getting smaller. They’ve been doing that for a very, very
> long time, in fact. Probably multiple millions of years. That’s
> advantageous for complicated biomechanical reasons around having large
> skulls to house large brains. Our jaws have become small enough that our
> teeth are getting crowded. Wisdom teeth, which come in last, tend to be the
> straw that breaks the camel’s back. They’re more likely to cause infections
> and other dental issues. Infections can be deadly or at least lead to
> ongoing health problems, which in turn has a negative impact on one’s
> ability to successfully reproduce and raise offspring. Not having wisdom
> teeth, then, is an evolutionary advantage for many people at this
> particular time. *
>
> *All the above QA are based on Quora digest to me on 13-09-2021. Quora
> answers need not be 100% correct answers *
>
> *Compiler- R. Gopala Krishnan, 77 dated 14 -09-2021 *
>
>
>
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