Cooking is the process by which the eatable raw materials are converted to the food. The ancient man learned the first lesson in the art of cooking when he accidentally tasted the cooked tuber in the wildfire. Gradually, this art spread all over the world and developed. Different styles of cooking evolved and various places became famous for various food items. Indian dishes are tasty and spicy. Important features of Indian cuisines are their combinations of various spices. The foreigners were attracted to the India in the ancient times because of our spices. We use various spices such as pepper, ginger, turmeric, green chili, curry leaves, onion, fenugreek, mustard, cumin-seed, clove, cardamom and nutmeg. Various dishes are prepared by adding different ratios of these spices. Many families in Kerala had the skill in the art of cooking. Bhimasenan and Nalan, the legendary characters were well known for their cooking.
We have various food combinations for various festive days (‘Koova’ for Thiruvathira, sliced plantain for Onam, ‘Appam’-rice bread- for Ashtami Rohini and ‘Ada’ for Thrikkakkara Appan). Payasam and the four dishes (chathur vibhavangal) are necessary for the feasts. Important Kerala dishes are Kalan, Olan, Erissery, Aviyal, Pachadi, Kichadi, Sambar, Pappadam, Upperi (banana chips), plantain, ginger, curd and pickle. The rice soup (Kanji) made of the rice taken from the paddy by manual grinding and the chutney as the side dish was a commonly accepted food in Kerala. The fish and meat dishes cooked with spices and oil have also been consumed all over India.
The developments in cooking led to the manufacture of modern vessels and tools. Various types of grinding stones and pestles, various types of pots and pans and other tools such as scrapers and knives were introduced to the kitchen. People started using firewood as the fuel in the furnaces. Recently, smokeless furnaces, gas stoves and electric ovens replaced the old type furnaces.
As the Indians started to imitate the cooking style of Western countries, our health and life are facing danger. Sriyog Sadhanapadham has started activities to bring back our own cooking style and food habits in order to overcome such challenges against the public health. We conduct cooking classes for housewives and young generation with the help of skilled cooks from Kerala villages to make the people aware that good foods are the best medicines.
