food, wellness and more...
The Puranas have made many references to it. In the Mahabharata, Jarasandha, crown prince of Magadha was born as a result of a mango blessed by a sage and shared by both his mothers. Kalidas has paid tribute to the sweet smelling mango blossoms that herald the arrival of Vasanta Ritu or Spring, as has …
There is absolutely nothing to beat the taste of freshly churned butter and clarified butter known as ghee that is made with this butter. We have known of churning butter from the days of Lord Krishna. There are stories, poems and songs galore about the naughty baby Krishna stealing the freshly churned butter not only …
Peanuts (groundnuts, கடலை, मूँगफली) are a great source of protein and there is the added bonus of antioxidants, key vitamins and minerals. The fats in peanuts are heart healthy mono and poly unsaturated fats. Peanuts are very commonly eaten as a snack “time pass” in India. The boiled/steamed tender peanuts, roasted peanuts, masala peanuts, chikki …
The ubiquitous neem tree, Azhadirachta Indica (probably one of the few Latin names I remember from my Botany days) is oft ignored. The medicinal values of the leaves, twigs, oil and flowers are far too many to enumerate here. Suffice it to say that this is something we all need to incorporate into our daily …
உணவே மருந்து, மருந்தே உணவு (food is medicine, medicine is food) is a basic tenet of our traditional medicinal systems. In South Indian cuisine, the simple rasam (சாற்றமுது which is saaru + amudu; in vaishnava sampradayam, different dishes of the daily meal are named as different types of amudu or nectar) holds a very important place …
When you reach out for the most attractively packaged or the most advertised soap / shampoo on the shelf in the store or for the one that promises the most amazing results, stop and think about what it is that you are using so generously on the largest organ in your body, the skin. …
In my grandmother’s home the floors at home would be simply washed with water and the excess water swept away with a broom. Instead of soap and shampoo, we had vaasanaippodi and shikakai powder. Clothes were washed with soapnuts. Utensils were washed using ash (சாம்பல்) and coconut coir was the scrubber. Even tooth powder was …
Has anyone heard of black turmeric? I had not. I accidentally came across this very recently and was so taken with it that it begged a separate post. Black turmeric or Curcuma Caesia is a variety with blue, almost purplish flesh in the rhizomes and is characterised by a dark crimson line in the middle of …
You can take the South Indian out of South India but you cannot separate him from his filter coffee or “kaapi” as it is popularly called. A piping hot tumbler of the aromatic filter coffee is a must for the day to really begin. Served with boiling milk and sugar, the smell of the coffee …
Growing up, I was never a “foodie”. I had a hearty appetite and would eat healthy food because my mother insisted on it. We were never allowed to refuse an item at the dining table just because we didn’t like it. My list included spinach and cabbage. An “I don’t like it” would elicit an …