A scene from 30 years ago is me watching the buttermilk being churned by hand. The swish swish of the large vat of buttermilk was most mesmerizing. I would liken it to the image in the Amar chathra comics of the ocean being churned to get nectar.
A scene from 30 years ago is me watching the buttermilk being churned by hand. The swish swish of the large vat of buttermilk was most mesmerizing. I would liken it to the image in the Amar chathra comics of the ocean being churned to get nectar.
I love the shape of the large wooden churner with it's flower like knob at the base with the grooved ends. My patti would watch with me as the each groove was smeared with butter and would be wiped clean with the fingers.If I washed my hands thoroughly I would be allowed to assist in skimming off the butter that came to the surface during the churning process.
That’s how I picked up the art of shaking the butter by undulating the palm of my hand in a certain manner. This would further facilitate in removing any excess liquid from the soft mound of butter.
This routine was done regularly several times a week.With the cow shed being just a few hundred feet away inside our compound, fresh milk, buttermilk, butter and ghee were never sourced from anywhere else. It was like that in most homes back then.
Today when people look at you tube channels on how to make buttermilk at home, I wonder… what and how did all this change ! My children and I aren’t too fond of whole milk to drink on it’s own. Curd however is something I can’t do without. In fact my summer meals are incomplete without a large helping of thayir.
When my children gave up drinking milk a few years ago, I felt the need to substitute it with a calcium equivalent. Not only was buttermilk the perfect option as a mid day quencher but the fact that it could be served chilled or at room temperature made it an even more fuss free option.
While we like our buttermilk to taste savory more than sweet, this drink tastes so different based on whatever is added. A simple favourite is to add a pinch of perungayam, cumin powder, green chillies, rock salt and very little ginger. The salty taste with the spicy hit at the end does get the appetite rolling. My aunt in law makes a delicious version with lots of fresh pudina,giving the morru a pale greenish tinge. It’s a heavenly concoction when had outdoors on a hot day.
Food habits of our elders were largely governed by the seasons. During summertime the noon meal often consisted of cooked rice with a helping of watery buttermilk, some small onions for crunch and a bite of green chilli. Not only did this offer respite for those slaving over a hot stove but it allowed the body (in the absence of air conditioners) to self condition by cooling from within.The antioxidants from the small onions kept summer infections at bay and the capsaicin from the chilli activated the sweat glands to keep the body at an even temperature. The rice provided the much needed carbohydrate to get through the day.
Today with the a/c on we dig into big nuggets of chili chicken, French fries, hot kothu parota and what not. We step outside and then wonder why the system feels sluggish and blame the summer sun for not feeling our optimum best.
We fail to understand that when we put the digestive system through so much strain during summer, the digestive process in turn leads to more heat being generated. The excess heat in the body many a times manifest into boils and eruptions on the skin. This is another reason why elders constantly advise on the need to hydrate well and eat cooling foods in summer.
In the north, the buttermilk is elevated to a special drink. Tall glasses of this frothy liquid often sweetened are offered to guests as a mark of warm hospitality. Sometimes seasonal fruit pulp, powdered nuts and dried fruits are added making the lassi a hearty delicious drink.
On the health front, a glass of buttermilk replenishes the minerals and salts lost and also help the gut in building good bacteria. Whether we like it plain, with a sprinkling of chaat masala on top or with the tempering of crunchy curry leaves, this is one drink that truly helps beat the heat.