Updated: October 9, 2020 1:22:14 pm
Like dosa, idli has many variations. (Source: getty images / file)
Shashi Tharoor recently wrote on Twitter: “… the taste and refinement to appreciate idlis … not given to all mortals.” Tharoor’s tweet came amid the debate among netizens about idli, after a British professor called them “the most boring things in the world”.
Even Kamala Harris, whose maternal home was in Tamil Nadu, is known to have a special connection with idli. “Growing up, my mother took my sister Maya and me to what was then called Madras… and of course she always wanted to instill in us a love for good idli,” said PTI.
Whether one likes idlis or not is a personal choice, but before we get into the fuss, let’s take a brief look at the history of this South Indian staple.
Food historian Kurush Dalal said indianexpress.com, “The South has not grown rice for over 3000 years. Therefore idli cannot be de facto more than 3000 years old. And when we actually start fermenting the rice dough and steaming it the next day, that’s another factor. “
Scholars have come up with various theories about the origin of idli. The food historian KT Achaya, for example, argued that the idlis may have arrived in India around 800-1200 AD from present-day Indonesia while ruled by Hindu kings belonging to the Shailendra, Isyana and Sanjaya dynasties, he mentions livehistoryindia.com in an article. Another food historian, Lizzie Collingham, claimed that they were brought to South India by Arab traders who married and settled there. They insisted on halaal food and opted for rice balls as a safe option, lightly mashed and eaten with a mild coconut sauce.
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The food history is usually accompanied by the 3 Cs: dispute, controversy and claims. . Today’s star: Idli is no exception to this. While there are different claims about its origin and regionality, prominent food historian KT Achaya notes that our food encyclopedias, Sri Shivakoti Acharya’s Vaddaradhane and later King Someshvara III’s Manasollasa, mention Iddalige and Iddarika respectively. However, both variants used only Black gram or Urad dal, not the rice grits that make up the best half (not by measure, of course) of the dough ingredients. As a result, the original idli was grayish in color and cooked on an iron, not steamed. The idli we know today is attributed more to an Indonesian influence, specifically marriages between South Indian kings and Indonesian royal families who followed the same religion and traded extensively with them. This cultural mix brought the idea of steaming idlis into the mainstream, refining the dough along the way. Today let’s talk about Rawa Idli. A few years ago, I visited the iconic Mavalli Tiffin (Lalbagh) room in Bangalore or MTR, as it is popularly known, for a photo shoot. As I made my way through the crowd, waiting for my turn to be served, I was intoxicated by the scent of the ghee-covered Rawa idlis being eaten by the customers around me. It was really an effort to keep the nerves on my palate calm! MTR’s third-generation co-owner, Hemamalini Maiya, informed me of its origin. History says that during the 1940s or specifically around World War II, there was a shortage of rice. It was a severe challenge for the people who survived in the humble idlis. According to Hema Malini, her great-uncle came up with the idea of using rava (Sooji or semolina) as a substitute for rice. The best part is that it doesn’t need fermentation time like its big brother. Adding buttermilk or yogurt, which is widely and easily available, helps the rawa fluff up and offsets the fermented touch. Rice semolina or Rawa, Indian or Indonesian, Idli for me is one more example of a dish beautifully adopted and adapted by our cuisine. So, are you enjoying your idlis today? Share your photos 🙂 #WorldIdliDay #FoodFables
However, the process of mixing urad dal and rice grains and fermenting the dough was a later innovation.
Read | Want to make perfect fluffy idlis? Keep these tips in mind
Idli has many variations, like dosa. Essentially any rice dough that is fermented and steamed, regardless of what it contains, is idli, Dalal said. “There are idlis that are wrapped in leaves and made and are perhaps some of the oldest idlis; the aluminum trays in which we make idlis is a very modern concept. Originally, idlis were made by suspending them over a lattice made of twigs and placed on top of a pot, or they could have been steamed on large bamboos and various other containers that could have been used for steaming, ”he said.
On Twitterati debating whether idlis are tasty or not, he further said: “Idli was basically the basic carbohydrate solution, it was not meant to be tasty. What was delicious was what was served with idli. Then idli would have things like vegetables added. You can go to a restaurant and have various types of idlis from the permutations and combinations. “
Ultimately, it’s about following the “eat and let eat” policy, Dalal urged. “I know people who can’t stand flatbreads, it doesn’t mean that flatbreads are bad,” he said.
How is idli made? In addition to the regular rice idlis, here is a ragi idli recipe; you can also try idli oats or suji idli.
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