I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have been brought up in a ‘foodie’ home – and a mother, my Aai, who’s a wonderful cook.
Have also had the fortune of having been exposed to a variety of food. However, given a choice, I end up turning to my ‘comfort’ zone – the traditional kind of food that I associate with my mom.
Thinking of traditional food, though, often has me wondering if these age-old recipes will fade into the oblivion as the years go by. After all, given today’s hectic lifestyles, how many of us can indulge in the slow (and sometimes elaborate) ways of cooking on a routine basis? Can something be done to preserve these recipes?
With this thought in mind, I decided to start a small project – of collating and recording the traditional recipes / the ‘fundaas’ about food / the small but important methods used in cooking, storing and preserving food and ingredients etc within my own small sphere of influence.
Am starting with Aai and her storehouse…most of which is in her head right now! Hopefully I’ll get a chance to reach out to the other women in my family. I plan to stick to the traditions of the region where my family’s roots are – the konkan region of Maharashtra (India) – specifically south konkan (Sindhudurg Dist). We hail from a small town called Banda there.
As they say about India – food changes every twelve miles. So yes, the food from our part of the world is quite different from that of Goa & Mangalore (which is to the south) as also from the Raigad region (which is to the north). Why, my Ajji (grandmother) on the paternal side – who spent most of her life in Banda and was also an incredible cook (and a ‘rockstar’ in gen)- would snootily look down her nose at the cuisine from Sawantwadi too – a town 12 kms from Banda 😀
So folks, do read and keep giving me your inputs and feedback. And if you wish to contribute with recipes / fundas / anything else pertaining to traditional food from your part of the world, please do.
– Shivangi
Traditional Recipes from Konkan 