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Kanchivaram sarees and Dhokla

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by kanaka, Feb 11, 2007.

  1. kanaka

    kanaka Bronze IL'ite

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    Remember the" Illustrated Weekly of India" edited by kushwant singh.If I remember properly it was the Golden jubille edition of "Illustrsted Weekly". There was an atricle on "Gujarat" .
    It seems many years back, there was acute famine in the saurashtra region. The whole region was dominated by the "Weaver's community" who were expert in weaving what we call the "bandini" sarees. The whole community had to migrate to different parts of the country for mere existence due to the famine. . It is said a small group which migrated to Tamil Nadu,:2thumbsup: brought with them their weaving style and their favourite dish "Dhokla" which was modified according to the avialability of ingredients. Dhokla was transformed to "Idili' . The early Kanchipuram weavers are said to be these migrants who later on adapted the Tamil culture.So very
    often Iam amused when I see a Gujarathi relishing Idili sambar , which has been assigned a "Madrasi Chappa".I have tried my level best to confirm the veracity of this piece of information. Let not the "Gujarathi" know this fact.Till then we hold the patent all over the world for our Kachipuram saree and Idili. kanaka
     
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  2. Vidya24

    Vidya24 Gold IL'ite

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    Hi Kanaka,

    Good to read your piece. I have also heard of this migration, the Saurashtra community in Madurai and environs is well-known. As to the origins of idli, I read a foodie history blog- apparently idli, dosai and jilebi were first made by Krishna. No idea if this is true or false, but was luscious reading all the same. BTW, the oil-free (low oil) puliyodharai of the Saurashtra community is very famous.
     
  3. vidyasarada

    vidyasarada Senior IL'ite

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    Hi Kanaka
    That was an interesting theory about the origin of Idli. Dokla and Idli both being fermented and steamed , its likely that they were culinary cousins at birth !

    One idli whose origin is well documented is the Rava Idli. It was invented by the famous eatery in Bangalore Mavalli Tiffin Room , well known as the MTR brand today. Apparently, during the World War, when there was severe rationing of food, the eatery which used to serve the usual idli-dosa , found it very difficult to procure the rice and dal necessary for its idlis. And MTR was much sought after precisely for idlis. In sheer desperation, the proprietor experimented with the available Rava . It made history !

    VS
     
  4. Kamla

    Kamla IL Hall of Fame

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    I never knew that rava idli was an invention of MTR...o wow. We sure need to be proud of our famous Bangalore institution.
    At a time and even now I guess, it was a privilege to go to MTR and enjoy their sumptuous preperations. I could not believe my eyes when I first started discovering MTR's ready mixes in the local Indian shops. Today, they are everywhere and I can trust the rava idli mix to this day when one needs to quick fix a meal.
    Thanks for that piece of info VidyaS.

    L, Kamla
     
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  5. vmur

    vmur Silver IL'ite

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    True, Kamla, I always stock their Puliyogare and Rava idli mix, they are very reliable and are very handy to cook up a quick meal.

    Our trips to Lalbagh would always culminate with a feast at MTR. Despite being tired of walking and strolling, we wouldn't mind waiting in the long queue to get in.

    Is it true that MTR has been bought over by a Norwegian company? I thought I saw this news bit in DH online a few days ago, but could not find it in any other news.

    Thanks VS for the useful piece of info!

    Regards
    Vidya
     

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