The more I learn about the wonderful foods that grow in this region,the deeper is the belief that food is indeed the best medicine. The wealth of nutrition that exists in the flora and fauna around us must be chronicled and taught to our children. Responsibility as parents does not cease with providing comforts and extending care,we must also set aside time to educate the diet which is unique to our land as well as the benefits arising from the same.An education of this kind when imbibed from elders in the family surpasses all else and will never be forgotten.
The more I learn about the wonderful foods that grow in this region,the deeper is the belief that food is indeed the best medicine. The wealth of nutrition that exists in the flora and fauna around us must be chronicled and taught to our children. Responsibility as parents does not cease with providing comforts and extending care,we must also set aside time to educate the diet which is unique to our land as well as the benefits arising from the same.An education of this kind when imbibed from elders in the family surpasses all else and will never be forgotten.
The path to mental wellness does lie in the physical body being treated with extreme respect and fed with the goodness that nature has to offer.When that kind of approach to wellness is followed,an occasional meal out will not cause damage to the body.
When one is eager to learn and share information then the path to learning does widen.On one such occasion I got to interact with a group of local food enthusiasts who suggested that my friend and I taste a pirandai chutney.My friend had heard of and eaten it before while I hadn’t. When chatting with my grandmother later that day (she loves watching programmes on food) ,I mentioned the ‘pirandai’ and asked if she had heard of it. Amazingly, she showed me her backyard filled with a profusion of, what looked like, tall segmented bits,poking out of the ground. As we stood gazing at the lush pirandai patch she proceeded to take a cutting of the segments and encouraged me to plant it at home.
Thus started my pirandai journey and it continues to this day with more encounters with like minded pirandai aficionados! I wonder though why this creeper is now seldom found anywhere?! It’s very hardy and grows quickly when exposed to sunlight.It requires almost no maintenance and is resistant to pest attacks.It has certain unusual characteristics that we discovered as we went along.One needs to oil the palms with nallenai before cleaning or handling the pirandai. Also while it is made up of many segments, it’s best to only snip at the first 2 segments for cooking.Otherwise, the slightly older or thicker ones tend to cause an itch in the throat when eaten.
It’s a green produce that is highly beneficial for treating all sorts of stomach disorders from gastritis, indigestion , piles etc.It must be eaten in moderation as even a little is quite effective.A cup full of cooked pirandai segments is enough to make a chutney using asafoetida, roasted urad dhal, red chillies, channa dhal, sesame seeds,tamarind and a little water for grinding. It’s quite delicious and children will eat it without a fuss.
At a chocolate workshop held two years ago here in Coimbatore ,we met an elderly couple who had lived abroad for several decades. The lady lamented at not being able to see a single pirandai creeper anywhere around the countryside.When I mentioned that we had a thriving patch at home, she got so excited that she straight away asked me to spare some so that her cousin could make her some pirandai chutney .She hadn’t eaten it since her youth when her grandmother used to made it regularly.To see such a reaction and hear stories of this kind are truly overwhelming.
After we started growing more pirandai and began to share the crop with others, a lot of people began to reminisce about pirandai dishes from their childhood and have taken steps to grow this ‘adamant creeper’ (English name) in their own homes. A like minded friend said that to plant even a fuss free edible plant these days was viewed as a painful chore which invaded into busy urban lifestyles.
It is supposedly good also when applied externally. The juice extracted from the pirandai is to said to help with swellings and other external injuries and is even said to repair torn ligaments when applied regularly as a poultice on the affected body part.
I’ve heard many elders lament far too many times about the unavailability of this plant also known as the veldt grape.But we can change that.Bring the pirandai back into your lives…all it takes is to plant one tiny segment,the earth will do the rest !