Last week was Onam. It was small, quiet, reflective with a hangover from our recent visit to India. Visions of home and 'plenty' by way of benana leaves [:-)!], traditional flowers, the mud Mahadevar/ Maathoru, the traditional rice paste motifs on the nadumittam /central courtyard of grandparents home and the food made at home always permeate this occasion here.
Memories of our childhood were of large Uthradom feasts. Kerala's feudal past is integral in these memories and it comes from the privileged end of the spectrum. The Uthradom feast was made by traditional cooks in the outdoor cooking fires. According to South Malabar's/ Valluvanad's feudal, landowning tradition and accounts, new cloth, money, and a certain amount of paddy was measured out to the tenants and families who had toiled for generations under that particular landlord's family.
Certain dishes were made only on occasion and never as and when one wants! The ten days of this harvest festival, where paddy was the backbone of the feudal economy, were busy with the preparations of different sweet meats, and savoury snacks culminating in the grand feast.
As our last year's Onam Sadya, our benana leaf was the melamine plate. For Uthradom, we had a simple Paal Payasam, as served at my maternal grandparents. For ThiruOnam, jaggery stewed plantains replaced the payasam, as was the tradition in my paternal grandparents home. Did not make Mulaga Pacchadi this time nor the Sharkkara Upperi or Varutha Upperi.
In our particular part of South Malabar, Uthradom Sadya had all the traditional items. ThiruOnam was quieter, early in the day, with only a few fresh dishes made by the women of the family. It was also the day for one of the annual visits to one's maiden home.
ThiruOnam feast served on our melamine, benana-leaf: Kaalan, Olan [made with winter melon and raw pumpkin here], Avial/Aviyal, Erisseri, cooked Tuvar Dal/split Pigeon Peas, fresh Ghee/clarified butter, fried jackfruit chips from India, Olvakkode banana chips [ the famous chips from the Palakkad area], jaggery-stewed ripe plantains, Pappadums, Lemon Acchar [ in lieu of Vadukkapuli Naranga Acchar/ Wild Lemon Acchar, Varuthuaracha Sambhar, Palakkadan Matta Rice on one day and white rice on the other. Aviyal/Avial and Olan
Olan
Kaalan
Our Uthradom Feast
Tender Winter Melon growing over the cowshed at our Uncle's ancestral home
Bags of un-husked coconuts piled up at the Pathaya-pura/Granary one of the few that has survived.The de-husking implement in the foreground.
Tender winter melon, yellow cucumber, tender pumpkins, raw plantains are in the season during this time and were traditional 'kayzhchha veppu'/ offerings given to the landlord.
.JPG)
.JPG)
