TRADITIONAL UTENSILS IN THE KITCHEN

Manju Satheesh • The kitchen is the powerhouse of a family and there was a time when it was the noisiest area of a home. • Noisy utensils, loud noises from the kitchen, such as the sounds of grating and the stoking of a fire using a metal poker – such noises were quite common in those days. • At that time everything was done through manual effort. The kitchen was the busiest area of the home. Most women used to be housewives, and men never entered the kitchen to help their wives. • Before gas stoves and induction cookers came into existence, the kitchen was a smoky area and housewives were seen with teary eyes. Women rarely complained, but considered these tasks to be their duty. They had very little free time for themselves. The Hearth

• The hearth is the centre of attraction of any kitchen, where food is cooked. • 50 years ago, hearths were fixed on the floor. Things slowly changed after that and were replaced by stoves. • Just above the wooden hearths, wood was hung on the ceiling using ropes. The hearths used to be made using mud or soil.

This is a picture of the hearth in my family house in Kerala. The traditional tea maker

The traditional tea maker is used to brew, boil and serve tea. It was made of copper in the olden days and but is now usually made from steel and aluminium. Muram in Malayalam ‘Uri’ in Malayalam

• Uri was made of ropes, and a ring was fixed in the inner side to give extra strength and hang things. • Uri was hung from the ceiling (in wooden structures called Kazhukol in Malayalam) of the thatched roof and when concrete homes came into existence, Uri was not so common. • This protected cooked foods from cats, pets and other animals. • More than one pot was placed one above another and usually hung away from hearths. ‘Arakallu’ in Malayalam

This is made of stone and used to grind chutneys and pastes. This is a traditional lunch box* which can hold the in the bottom compartment, which is bigger than the others and different curries in the other compartments.

*Also known as tiffin boxes Puttu Maker

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND Unni maker Idiyappam maker This is made of terracotta clay and mostly used to make fish curries. Coconut scraper Kalchatti Stone Grinder Bharani is a kind of container made of clay and used to keep pickles, and other food items.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC These wooden containers* are used for measuring rice, flour and lentils.

*Para *Changazhi

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA Idli maker /steamer

• This is used to make a traditional dish called idli which is made of fermented batter of rice and lentils. • It was traditionally made from brass or copper but has been replaced by steel and aluminium. • It can also used as a steamer.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC • This is called ‘Kindi’ in Malayalam, which is used store water . • It used to be kept in front of the main door of the house to clean the feet of the person coming from outside before entering the house. • Also used to wash the hands after and before eating. • It is made of brass and it has a tail. • Now it has been replaced by taps in all houses. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND