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(More customer reviews)Along the Malabar Coast of Southern India there are communities of Syrian Christians, originally founded in the first century by St. Thomas who converted several Brahmin families to Christianity. It was these early Christians who then intermarried with Syrians settling there. The result was the creation of the vibrant Syrian Christian community of Kerala and its rich culinary heritage that is so superbly showcased in Lathika George's elegant ethnic cookbook "The Kerala Kitchen: Recipes And Recollections From The Syrian Christians Of South India". Interlaced with the recipes for exotic dishes are anecdotal stories associated with them and the community from which they spring. The recipes range from Rice Flatbread; Yams with Ground Coconut; Fish Roasted in Banana Leaves; and Kerala Chicken Roast; to Spiced Cooked Buttermilk; Sweet Plantain Chips; Smoked Gooseberry Preserve; and Mango Mousse. Enhanced with a section of full-color photographs of finished dishes, a glossary of specialized terms in both English and Malayalam, a five-title bibliography, and an index, "The Kerala Kitchen" is a thoroughly 'user friendly' and enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, professional, family, and community library ethnic specialty cookbook collections.
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This book evokes the beauty of a bygone era and the vibrant texture of community life through a hundred recipes, engaging recollections, and beautiful photographs. Long before the time of Christ, the lure of spices took traders and seafarers to Kerala, a prosperous and highly literate state on the tropical Malabar Coast of south-western India. Saint Thomas the Apostle also travelled this spice route, preaching to and converting several Brahmin families who later intermarried with the Syrians who settled in Kerala; the Syrian Christians or Nazaranis of Kerala were born of this confluence.Centuries later, ayurvedic massage resorts and scenic backwaters make this lush land a top tourist destination, and spices still draw both traveller and gourmand to the rich, abundant culinary tradition of this people. Meen Vevichathu (Fish Curry cooked in a clay pot), Erachi Olathiathu (Fried Meat), and Njandu Karri (Crab Curry) are among the book's savoury delights, along with varied rice preparations such as Puttu (Steamed Rice Cake), Paalappam (Lace-Rimmed Pancakes), and tropical desserts such as Karikku Pudding (Tender Coconut Pudding) and Thenga Paalum Nendrikkai (Baked Plantain with Coconut Cream). Interwoven between these recipes, in the best tradition of the cookbook memoir, are tales from the past and present, of talking doves, toddy shops, travelling chefs and killer coconuts.
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