Let me not make this a botany forum or a food science class -
If any one gets bored of this, let me know. I will quit and only
communicate with Sri Bapa Rao ga'ru.
Your previous message :
"I think the study of foods, like the study of language or dress, will
tell us
something about the historical development of regions, contacts between
cultures, etc. Is there a name for such a field of study?"
There is one field of study called "ETHNOBOTANY" which covers the
historical, cultural, and economic (medicinal and food values) aspects
of plants. FYI, considerable work has been done in India with regards to
Ethnobotany. Ethnobotanical investigations in the tribal regions
disclosed the medicinal values of several plant species. Unfortunately,
several species are either already extinct or getting closer to
extinction. Mostly, the elders who knew the economic importance and
cultural usages of thes plants neither disclosed those to any one nor
the younger generations do not care for such (as they go a stray).
I consulted my senior colleagues about such a field of study as you
are asking about. They came up with none such. But, they suggested
some suitable terms - like cusinology. I did modify that as follows:
Taking ETHNOBOTANY as the basis, the following disciplines may be
developed (including your areas of interest):
ETHNOCUISINERIE (cusinerie = art of cuisine)
ETHNOCOOKERY ( cookery = art of cooking)
CULINARY ETHNOLOGY (culinary = cooking related; vamTa sambamdhamaina)
more synthetic and crazy one (emotional one):
ETHNOCUISINOLOGY
One jargon you always here around is "ETHNIC FOODS". Here the word
"ethnic" dissipates a different meaning to those who use the term.
But our ancestors considered cooking as a science - they called
this discipline - pa'ka Sa'stram.
How far cooking is a science? I don't know. But, for me cooking is
half science and half art. One will be surprised to know how much
scientific work has been done on our (Indian - both South Indian and
North Indian) cooking. A lot of people think Indian cooking in terms of
nutritional values (medicinal values). Nay! The science behind our
cooking is marvellous. I will give you one example - What are the
reactions that take place if you add "pasupu" before the vegetable is
cooked or during cooking (boiling or frying) and after cooking is done?
The reactions will be different leading to the release of different
aroma and flavor compounds. Similarly if you use lemon you get a
different flavor and if you use lime you get other flavor - as the
flavonoids and other aroma substances (volatile oils) in the skin of
lime are different from that of lemon. Similarly, if one adds just cut
onions in sa'mba'ru (EmiTii? ii arava gOla amTa'ra'? jesTu O uda'haraNa
ma'tramE!) as opposed to slightly fried onions, the aroma of sa'mba'ru
will be different - the reason is onions have sulfur-contg. amino acids
and they are the ones responsible for that pungent odour (also in
vellulli). If you fry the onions or vellulli slightly, these sulfur-rich
amino acids will be oxidized to an extent where you wont get that
strong aroma and a noval aroma substance (oxidized compound) will be
generated. vEyimpuDu kooralu taste good! That is a generalization!
But, the volatile substances generated from the unsaturated fats after
prolonged frying add aroma and your smell receptors sense those volatile
substances. Some times the vamTa va'Du adds whole mirapaka'yalu as
opposed to cut ones. The reactions are different. Plants have phenols
and tannins. When you cut them, these compounds are oxidized in presence
of the atmospheric oxygen. If you don't cut them, the reactions are
different and the flavors and aromas of the prepared dish are different.
Once upon a time one host stopped making upma because she did not have
pacci mirapaka'yalu. I asked her why and she told me that the taste will
be different.
Just one more example! Folks! Are you getting bored? Don't curse me!
You may have seen the meat tenderizer sold on the shelf. Do you know our
ancient ETHNOCUISINOLOGY? When I was incharge of the hostel kitchen in
Berhampur, the boys brought aged lamb meat. The cook was trying to cook
it. Two hours he struggled with it. Then the cheif came. He noticed
the problem, went to the back yard, plucked a few papaya (boppa'si)
fruits, cut them into pieces and added to the cooking meat dish. Done in
a few minutes? Do you know why? Papaya contains protein hydrolyzing
enzymes - called "papain". That breaks the hard collagen and other
structural proteins in meat hard to cook. Who taught that cook to use
boppa'si ka'ya in cooking. I never read it in any Telugu book. That is
our science of cooking. I can tell you examples like this on and on till
you say "stop it!".
I call our (INDIAN AND ANDHRA COOKING) : a'mdhra pa'karasa'yana Sa'stram.
I am actually working with a friend of mine on a book on the scientific
aspects of our cooking (not nutritional).
In fact, other than Smt. Malati Chandur's book, how many books are there
in Telugu on our vamTalu and pimDi vamTalu? Any 2 cents on this?
More later.
---pa'lana
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