March 24, 2007

Rasam


Hmmm…… even the mere thought of the word “Rasam” brings water in my mouth. Well why I selected this topic is bcoz today I was having lunch in one Kerala restaurant and I commented that the rasam served there was too watery. My friend said that rasam is supposed to be watery and I opinioned it ought to be a little thicker. This sparked a thought process about the “Rasam” the manner in which the same dish is made and eaten in different parts of South India.

Rasam is typically a watery dish taken along with rice (for those who hav not heard of it!!!!!!!!) but don’t ask the recipe pls!!!!!!! J . In Kerala and Tamil Nadu it is called “Rasam” while in Karnataka and Andhra it is called “Saaru”. In Kerala, TN and Andhra, Rasam is taken in the end while in Karnataka it is taken in the beginning!!!!!

Each place there is a sequence in which the meals are taken. In Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra, the sequence is Rice, Sambhar, Rasam and then Butter Milk while in Karnataka it is Rice, Rasam and Butter Milk. It is when I wrote the sequence that I realized why Rasam is thicker in Karnataka and watery in other parts. Being the first serving in Karnataka the dish has to be obviously thick so that people can eat them while in the other 3 states, the dish is used more as a drink after the main course!!!!!!!

If you think this is the only difference, then u r wrong bcoz the preparation is different in each state. Now I don’t have the details on that, but u hav to believe me that it’s true. Maybe some one can comment on how the preparations are different.

It is really fascinating to note that a dish having a similar name has different versions and different ways in which it is consumed. The best of part of this entire story is that the name Rasam is a Persian word. Can u imagine!!!!!!!! And till now I thought it was an Indian word. That is one of the reasons why India is such a diverse country. For more details on different types of Rasam u can visit wikipedia- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasam

Anyways whether is in Chennai Rasam or Kerala Rasam or Karnataka Saaru it’s the same for me, another one amongst the long list of mouth watering dishes.

1 comment:

diyadear said...

hey rahul,
ur posts r becoming more n more interesting.. Gr8 observation!!