MY TASTIEST CUISINE (എന്റെ അതിസ്വാദിഷ്ട ഭോജ്യം)

My taste buds experienced this most delicious cuisine nearly sixty years ago in the mid wilderness of widespread Kuttanadan paddy fields. Kuttanadu is an area of Alappuzha densly covered with water ways. This is the lowest level paddy cultivation in the world below sea level. Kuttanadu is famous because of its paddy fields and farmers dedicated to growth of paddy. It was once called "Keralathinte Nellara", which means "rice bowl of Kerala".

Flooded Kuttanadu

In traditional paddy cultivation , the vast Kuttanadan fields of over one lakh acre will be filled with canal water immediately after the harvest in order to reduce the acidity of the soil. The wide paddy fields will be like large Vembanadu lake with small and large serpentine canals with in.The only transportation between villages on those days is by manual or motorised boats. There was all possibility to lose your way when flooded as the land marks are few and they are are far away from each other.

My grand father was a dedicated farmer , who possessed fifty acres of Kuttanadan paddy field. He owned his own large electrical pump set in his farm house on the bank of the canal proximal to his paddy field. The farm house was made suitably for human living and he lived there with a cook for six months till harvest.

Roofed Boat

During water pumping season , hundreds of pumpsets of farmers will be pumping out water for preparing the pady fields for paddy cultivation. Large variety of fresh water fish like, Karimeen(Pearl spot), Chempally (Climbing perch) ,Varaal (Banded snake head), Kari( Stinging cat fish) ,Muzhi (Walking cat fish),Manjakkoori (Yellow fish) ,Kola , Konch (Prawns) etc.are caught abundantly in the fishing net tied to the water exit of the pump set. My family used to visit grand father in the farm house carrying lots of banana, tapioca, jack fruit etc in a roofed travelling boat propelled with poles by a boat man . On return, we carried plastic sacs full of fresh fish to our homes where we preserved them as salty dry fish.

Farm House

On the eventful day morning of a flood season, my father sent me to grand father in a boat with a boat man. I was only ten years old at that time. Generally, we needed three hours only to reach grand father' s farm house. But as I told earlier, the whole Kuttanadan fields were like a large lake. We lost our way after two hours. We kept on sailing like Columbus and could trace no land or habitats. We were expected to reach grand father at 11AM. But it was four in the evening. There was no human being to ask the way and no house to have some drinking water. At last we saw faintly a small coconut palm hut far away. I was totally tired , dehydrated and was almost lying down inside the boat. The boatman also was tired, but he was concerned about me. He kept on enquiring my condition. Somehow we reached the hut. The hut was thatched with coconut palm leaves, totally worn out. The boatman shouted from the boat, " Is there any one here? "A very old dark complexioned woman in stooping posture seemingly, an old agricultural labourer came out. The boatman narrated our story. He requested some rice water for immediate relief. But the old woman helplessly said, " There is some yesterday's rice water, but fermented". There were some tapioca plants in the premise. She went and dug out two three tuber roots, peeled and boiled in half an hour. She brought a plateful of ivory coloured pieces of tapioca and little bit left over gravy of previous day's fish curry . She also gave a mud pot full of drinking water which she had to bring from far away in their small wooden boat(കൊതുമ്പുവള്ളം).We both ate the whole simplest food in the world like voracious slaves in five minutes as we were inexplicably hungry. The old lady was watching us eating greedly. She was overwhelmed with contentment that she could satisfy our hunger. We took rest for one hour ,meanwhile her son came after his labour work. He guided us to reach grand father. We gave a handsome amount of money to that grand old woman for the timely charity for which she was instrumental. Undoubtedly, food, cloth and shelter are the most essentials for mankind. When you are hungry, you think about food only. Doctrines, theories, cosmetics and politics will be insignificant for a hungry millionaire.

My wealthy grandfather was waiting for us since forenoon with Kuttanadan special cuisines like Duck masala, Karimeen fish mole and hot steam cake. But we did not get it when we were dying with hunger. So unfortunately, my ever loving Kuttanadan specials were outdone in taste by the boiled salty ivory pieces of tapioca. After many years, I travelled all over India, dined in star hotels , stayed and dined in thirteen countries, but they were not enjoyable as much as I enjoyed the grand old lady's tapioca, because I was not hungry. Hunger makes your food tasty. The boiled ,non spicy, salty, ivory coloured tapioca pieces with one day old fish curry gravy remains as the tastiest salivating cuisine in my life.