Well, I have an announcement to make to my readers (however few they are in numbers): I'm excited to start writing again. You see, I just turned in the first draft of my dissertation proposal so I have a lot more free time on my hands now. That's right, guys. I have three weeks of normalcy before I get comments back on this behemoth document, and I'm taking full advantage of this time. With that, I would like to devote this post to sharing my amazing food experiences during my trip to India in November-December 2012.
Two weeks of our trip was spent in Kolkata with extended family. Now, I have a basic understanding of the geography of the hustling and bustling capital of West Bengal; I feel comfortable taking the metro anywhere I need to go and know generally where in the city big landmarks are located. But most of all, I know where all the well-renowned (even underground) fast food and sweets shops are, thanks to my favorite uncle on the face. of. the planet., my Pishemoshai. There was a period about 5 years ago when I actually lived with my Pishi and Pishemoshai for about 6 weeks. During that time, I commuted by metro to work at a government clinic six days a week. Most days, I only worked about 6-7 hours, which meant that almost daily, I would return in the afternoons to some delightful culinary surprise, courtesy of my uncle. It started out as small items -- a few sandesh from the local sweets store, some chanachur from a street shop. After a while, Pishemoshai got a sense of which foods I preferred over others (and I was not at all shy about vocalizing my favorites). As soon as he figured out which snacks I loved the most, they came in dozens or more...and not just during this six week period, but for every one of my visits thereafter. Kheer khadam (dairy-based sweet -- hard on the outside, soft and spongy on the inside), nolen gurer sandesh (milk-based dessert sweetened with fresh date palm jaggery), giant shingaras (commonly known as samosas, but Bengali-style), fresh tandoori chicken, langra aam (a type of fresh mango); you name it, he got it.
He always tells me his favorite part about bringing home these foods is seeing the look on my face while I eat. Knowing that I will never get these tasty treats in such quality in the States, I always try to relish every bite, closing my eyes, chewing slowly, feeling the flavors tickle each taste sensation on my tongue, allowing the flavors dissolve in my mouth. But while I always appreciate these treats, I always feel a little guilty relishing the flavors too much. See, my uncle cannot eat many of the snacks he brings home for us when we visit because he has had type I diabetes for much of his life. Despite not being able to share with him, he still appreciates that the sheer love for food can bring a whole family together for a cup of chai, some snacks, and good old-fashioned adda (chatting). This is the power of food, folks.
I must have gained at least 5 pounds on this trip, but not just from my two weeks in Kolkata. My parents and I also spent about 8 days traveling around different parts of India. My favorite food-related experiences were during a visit to an organic spice farm in Goa. I know, I was skeptical too, guys. And your suspicions may be confirmed when I tell you that the farm was overpopulated with foreign tourists and was largely commercialized (then again, so are most things in Goa, as we discovered). BUT, I did learn a lot about spices! And let me tell you -- commercialized organic spice farm or not, spices sold in India are far better than anything you might find at a grocery store in the States. Here are some fun facts I learned on the tour of the Sahakari Farm:
- Often, we find mixes of black and white peppercorns. You know the difference between the two? Well, peppercorns are actually green in color; they are picked while still unripe and boiled for a short time, which gives black peppercorns their color (and pruny appearance). When soaked for a long period in water, the black skin naturally peels off, revealing a white color (hence, white pepper).
- Most people have heard of Chinese five-spice. Well, did you know it's actually a single spice, better known as all-spice? All-spice, or five-spice, is a bit of a misnomer. It is, in fact, a single plant which gives the flavor of five different spices. Don't believe me? Well, let me tell you a little story. We actually took a tour of this spice farm, during which the guide broke off a bit of a plant and encouraged everyone in the group to try a little. "What do you taste?" She asked, curiously. "Clove!" "Arre, no, it's peppercorn." "No, I think I taste a little anise." Well, we were all right and wrong. See, all-spice contains the flavors of anise, fennel, peppercorn, cinnamon, and clove. And while these individual spices have very distinct flavors, all-spice encompasses them all into a single dried piece of tiny fruit. (Little known fact: Stores often sell five-spice as these individual components ground up into a powder because all-spice cannot be grown everywhere.)
- When was the last time you used a bay leaf in your chicken stew? Well, did you know that your bay leaf could come from a number of different plants? In South Asia, the bay leaf has an appearance and flavor similar to a cinnamon leaf, but is primarily grown in Sri Lanka. Because bay leaves are popularly used in South Asian cuisine, dried cinnamon leaves are often used as cheaper, more plentiful substitutes.
- Cashews -- ah, what delicious, creamy, sweet nuts you are. Little did I know, until a few months ago, that cashew nuts come from a unique, yellow, heart-shaped fruit. Interestingly enough, cashews are not native to Asia. They were actually brought to India from Brazil during the 1500s when the Portuguese settled in Goa; through trade, access to cashews spread throughout South and Southeast Asia. The cashew nut is actually the seed within this juicy fruit. Apparently, a very strong alcoholic drink commonly sold in Goa (but apparently nowhere else in the country, as it is illegal), called feni, is produced from the cashew fruit. It's quite strong, actually -- very similar to taking a shot of vodka (so, yeah -- also unpleasant).
Well, I have so many more food-related experiences to share from my trip, but I'm beat. Until next time, eat, be merry, and love.
Not only is your blog always interesting, but this was really educational as well. I had no idea that five spice was a single spice (and is the same as allspice)!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I feel like your post fits in perfectly with your background image!