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From the kitchens of Pala

The evolution of Syrian Christian cuisine, along with the history of the community makes this cookery book special

TREASURED RECIPES Ingredients special to the cuisine

There is nothing more appetising than being able to savour dishes straight from amma's kitchen. Of recipes that have been so secretly treasured, tried and cherished that have led to the evolution of the most palatable cuisines in the world today. And no matter how much one tries to replicate these dishes without being aware of those secret ingredients, maybe even the right concoction, it proves futile. Nothing and no one it seems can compete with those special recipes that have been passed down generations.

So it is evident in a cook book titled Kerala Syrian Christian Recipes, each page of which carries carefully tested secrets, those special curries that have long reigned the kitchens of Syrian Christian women. Complied by Thressi John and photographed by Salim Pushpanath, the book has carefully covered various aspects of the cuisine from its emergence with the Syrian Christian community to its transition through various periods of development, emerging as a significant Kerala cuisine peppered with western influence, mostly of the British who once owned much landed property in the hilly regions of Kerala.

Western influence

The Syrian Christian community's close association in trade to westerners, especially with regard to rubber, cardamom, coffee and others, saw both the adaptation of foreign cuisine into their own as well as the use of certain spices that have continued to remain the main focus of many of their dishes. The book not only offers various recipes of vegetarian and non vegetarian delicacies, but also traces the history of the community, their existence in Kerala especially Pala, and the very occurrence of a special cuisine now termed as Syrian Christian cuisine.

Food on occasions

Many of the dishes mentioned in the book pertain to specific events in the life of a Syrian Christian: a baptism or a death anniversary, advent or the celebration of Christmas and Easter, both that call for special dishes like, say, pork and duck. Or kottzhukotta, a coconut stuffed dumpling, mostly prepared before Easter, or Pesaha Pal, an unleavened bread made of rice flour eaten with a jaggery syrup, a bread that is broken amidst family members on Maundy Thursday in memory of the breaking of bread by Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago. Thressi John has largely revealed the recipes that have for years remained with the Kottukappaly family of Pala from which she hails, the recipes clearly demarcated and stated for an easy trial, while Salim Pushpanath has managed to capture the true appeal of the dishes through his photographs, giving readers an idea of presentation and style. Although the recipes appear too minimal in number, it yet offers sufficient information and knowledge of the cuisine and the history behind the evolution of it. And nothing more when one is allowed an insight into the deepest secrets of an ancient family kitchen. The book published by DEE BEE Info Publications is priced at Rs.395.

TANYA ABRAHAM

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