DECCANHERALD 6 Saturday SPECTRUM January 11, 2020 EAT RIGHT There is certainly a resurgence of interest in local food and a growing awareness of the benefits of eating fresh and seasonal produce, writes Rashmi Vasudeva Your state on yourplate o f o v e r -processed foods loaded with in Karnataka. In the 1970-80s, there was e m p ty calories and sugar. a sudden and unexplained fall in demand for the crop. It was then that traders sug- S ankranthi science Not only is Karnataka’s gested to farmers to hold avarekai melas For instance, since Makara in and around Bengaluru to sell their sur- Sankranthi is round the cor- food highly evolved in terms plus produce. Soon enough, this not only ner, consider the traditional became a tradition, but also popularised Karnataka delicacies pre- of variety and taste, but the bean in the region to a great extent. pared during this time. it is also, like most cuisines So much so that in some households, “Each one of the foods there is no escaping the green bean this Millet that are eaten during with a history, deeply season. Averekai shows up its little face in pongal Sankranthi has ap urpose scientific in its ethos. every dish that is prepared — uppitu, rotti, and meaning,” says Neetha saaru, and yes, even in bisibelebath! Pulakeshi, who has a small While the bean rules in the southern business of making sambar states, Sankranthi is sajje season in the ne state. Many worlds. The chutney and Mysore bonda one relishes p owders and pickles at home. north. Sajje is a millet varietytyand is grown catchphrase of the Karna- in South Karnataka, the gassi and ne e r T h e chef agrees. during this period. taka Tourism Department dosa of coastal Karnataka, the mill e t “ S a nkranthi is a harvest festival; The preparation of these rottis though Ois arguably more apt for the rottis (both jowar and sajje) with ennega i h e n c e , t here is abundance. This is why is a fine art by itself and will take a while to state’s cuisine than anytything K a n n a d i g a s make huggggi (sweet pongall), master. But once prepared, they go very else. Unfortunately, the state’s many thriv- whichsymbolises the overflflowing of both well with several accompaniments — from ing food sub-cultures and mouth-water- Millets rotti food and happiness,” he says. However, powders (pudii)such as shenga pudi, agasi ing dishes are hidden under the flam- Sankranthi is not just about huggi in pudi and uchchal pudi to fresh greens (like boyance of the Mysore masala dose or its Simply put, North Karnataka primari- Karnataka — there is a veritable feast out methii) and the aforementioned kaalu drippy cousin Davangere benne dose. ly cultivates jowar, the west rice, and the there, if only one cares to look (and eat of palyas. Anecdotal evidence sadly suggest that south ragi. From here have sprung the course). forget the so-called ‘outsiders’, even Kan- many delicacies of the state. As it is still wintry when Sankranthi ar- There’s more nadigas themselves are quite unaware of Evidently, when the foods are so deeply rives,especiallyinthenorthernpartsofthe If you have not yet run to the kitchen hun- the rich variettyy of cuisine the state offers. dependent on the agricultural produce of state,bajra rottiismadeduringtheseason. gry, there are a few more Sankranthi-spe- Ask anyone to name a few Karnata- the region, they are essentially driven by This is to be lapped up with kaalu palyas of cific foods waiting to be explored. For ka-specific dishes and, yes, you will get seasons. The local eco-system, the climate many kinds; then there is the crunchy and instance, there is the til chikki and the til to hear about the same-old doses, the odd of theregionand thekind of soil —allmake delicious peanut holige, a ‘warmth-provid- laddoo, both prepared with sesame (an- maddurvadaortwtwo,orthatall-consuming a difference to the food that is consumed. ing’ varietty of the traditional sweet dish. Avarekai melas were once farmer’s way other seasonal queen), jaggery, peanuts behemoth — bisibelebath. Really, we owe This is where science and nutrition blend Notice that all the ingredients used for of dealing with their surplus produce. and dollops of ghee. Not to forget the tra- it to the diversitty of the state to dig a little into one. As the chef says, if we stick to these dishes are harvested during Sank- ditional chakkara pongal or sakkre pongal, deeper, don’t we? season-specific food habits like our fore- ranthi. and flu, common during winters. prepared with coconut, rice, jaggery, milk, Not only is Karnataka’s food highly fathers clearly did, we are automatically Even the very popular tradition of ellu Nowadays, many also advocate pre- chana dal and a generous helping of all the evolved in terms of varietty and taste, but consuming fresh, natural produce that beerodu has great scientific significance, paring huggi (or pongall) using millets — a dry fruits you can lay your hands on! it is also, like most cuisines with a history, are good for our body (and soul). More explains the chef. “The platter exchanged nutritionally powerful variant of the one While it is true that we don’t often pause deeply scientific in its ethos. crucially, by doing so, we are getting the bettwween women and girls comprises sug- made with wheat. to wonder about the food we eat, there is Chef Regi Mathew, who has been cham- “right nutrition for the right season”. arcane, a sesame and jaggery mixture, certainly a resurgence of interest in local pioning ethnic cuisines for many years Holige or obbattu. PHOTO BY S K DINESH Worldwide too, food trends are all about sakkare acchu (sugar candy), jujube, betel Avarekai versus sajje rotti! food and a growing awareness of the nutri- now, says Karnataka’s food habits are goinglocaland seasonal. Nutritionists and leaves, arecanut and bananas.” No, we have not forgotten ‘THE’ bean of tional benefits of eating fresh and seasonal different every 100 km. in North Karnataka or the kadamputtu dietitians are crying themselves hoarse The beautyty of the platter lies in its nu- the state. Karnataka, especially southern produce. “Look at the local oota of the region — it with mudre kanni of the Kodagu region, that a prominent reason for our ills and tritional balance — while the bananas Karnataka’s love for the bean, is now leg- The many delights that Karnataka will tell you everytything about how multi- the delicacies are all deeply linked with deficiencies is our nonchalant ignoring of and sugarcane provide energy, sesame endary. Incidentally, Chef Mathew has an cuisine has to offer in this season of abun- faceted the state’s heritage is.” the agricultural traditions of the particular the scientific and cultural aspects of our and jaggery are foods meant to generate interesting anecdote about how the hum- dance and harvest will make that journey Be it the thatte idli with coconut region. foods, not to mention our consumption warmth in the system to combat the chills ble avarekai came to dominate the winters back to one’s roots only that much easier. LANGUAGES Dialects bloomed in Tulu Nadu Of vernacular varietyty due to geographical boundaries and caste divisions, writes Karthik Malli n addition to rich linguistic Up until modern times, the diversittyy, Indian languages caste system restricted mixing — like any other languages — betwtween different caste groups, Ishow considerable internal and as a result, different commu- variation, in the form of myr- nities evolved their own linguistic iad dialects. These dialects offer mannerisms. linguists a wealth of insights. Social-linguistic variations are Tulu, a Dravidian language spo- most pronounced along Brahmin ken by around 1.85 million people and non-Brahmin lines, with primarily along the southern coast Dalit and adivasi dialects forming of Karnataka, is no different when a smaller but prominent group it comes to variation. within the broader non-Brahmin Tulu is primarily an unwritten dialect, called the Common dialect language, known for its oral in literature. traditions. It is also the non-liter- The usage of Standard Kannada ary Dravidian language that has as a formal written language is attracted the most attention from superimposed on this usage of linguists. Tulu and other local languages like As is the case with languages in Byari and Konkani; Tulu Nadu’s general, dialectal variation in Tulu bilingualism is a key part of its exists along two primary identityty — Kannada has inffluenced axes — social and regional. its languages for centuries. Linguists have divided Tulu Mapping the language into four dialects, based on its Bhutakola, a folk ritual, has recitals characterised by Common dialects. To visualise Tulu linguistic varia- divisions — North Common, tion, it’s important to understand North Brahmin, South Common, the cultural geography in which it is Linguists have divided South Brahmin. There are further Tulu, is the loss of the retroflflex or spoken, a region commonly termed Tulu into four dialects, regional and social subdivisions, Dialect variation Kundapura hard ‘l’ and ‘n’ sounds, such as in Tulu Nadu. with less variation. Udupi words like kannu (eye) and puli According to the linguist D N S based on its divisions — The book A Comparative Study SOUTH BRAHMIN SOUTH COMMON NORTH BRAHMIN NORTH COMMON GLOSS NORTH Karkala (tamarind). WEST NORTH EAST Bhat, Tulu Nadu is “geographically Of Tulu Dialects, written by the Amberpu Amberpu Ambarappu Ambarappu Hurry Mangalore Beltangadi Given the general neglect of North Common, Buntwal and sociolinguistically compact,” linguist Padmanabha Kekunnaya SOUTH CENTRAL non-literary languages in Indian Anumaano Almaano Anumaana Almaana Suspicion Puttur and is defined by a set of natural and published in 1994 by the SOUTH North Brahmin, WEST language discourse in general, Abjaali Abjaali --- --- Vagabond borders — from the Suvarna river Rashtrakavi Govinda Pai Research SOUTH EAST it’s refreshing to see linguistic Sullia in the north to the Chandragiri South Common, Centre (RGPRC), is a landmark ApakaApagaApaga AdagaThen Kasaragod variation in Tulu documented and river in the south (roughly from South Brahmin.