As the mercury rises and the days grow longer, the need to hydrate becomes pressing. There is an array of beverages, canned, bottled or freshly prepped available at our fingertips. Advertisements of dewy glasses holding colourful liquids and sparkling ice cubes continuously entice us. This summer, let us take a peek into our traditions for what may have been the coolants of yesteryears.
The Indian subcontinent and its harsh summer are well known. Whilst some parts may face an arid and dry summer with the scorching sun drying out every pore, other parts experience sultry and sweltering days that seem to make you rain with sweat. But every region of this Peninsula holds in its nature’s bounty elements that will help you combat this furious season.
Sattu in Bihar and ragi in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are today termed as superfoods. A drink made with either of these flours, spiced and salted or
nicely sweetened goes a long way in the battle against dehydration. It has always been a popular drink with those who spend their days out in the sun. Have this sweetened with jaggery and it ensures that your blood sugar level is kept under check. Add a squeeze of lime and it befriends the palate and keeps the stomach lining happy.
Kokum, popular in the western coastal region and bael an equivalent in the eastern coast, are both extremely beneficial in summers. Kokum juice and extract cooked with sugar and condiments to a sherbet is quite popular in Goa while moving a tad bit south to the region of Mangaluru and Udupi, gives the savoury drink of kokum syrup with coconut milk the cool Sol Kadhi which is relished extensively in the hot weather. Bael, known as maredu in Andhra Pradesh on the other hand, requires lesser processing and helps make an instant sherbet. Both these fruits pack in them a good amount of salts, minerals and other vitamins that help balance the electrolyte loss during these sweaty months.
It is said that fermented foods and the summers are best friends. The hot humid weather would aid the fermentation and the probiotic-rich food would benefit the human body that is busy waging a war with the rising temperature. One such food quite prominent in the rice-eating regions of our land is fermented cooked rice. Started as a process to keep leftover rice, it was soon realised that this cool porridge increased energy levels and helped keep the heat at bay. Eaten with pickles or a spicy green chilly chutney, it can elevate your tastebuds. Known as Panta Bhat, Pakhala, Poita Bhat, Geel Bhat or Pazham Kanji, it was once upon a time a relished and staple food of housewives, peasants and land workers.
Lassi and shikanji are our very own desi yoghurt smoothie and lemonade. Thick sweetened lassi in tall steel/ brass glasses that can satiate and hydrate in the hot weather brings to one’s mind the image of green fields and robust households of Punjab, a region rich in produce and dairy. Chaas is the savoury cousin of the lassi with spices and a little less thick, making it a nutritious and fulfilling drink for the summer months.
Though the common lemon is universal and cannot be traced to a single culture or place of origin, its use in food and drink was first recorded in the Middle East and Egypt. Hence it may be safe to assume that the concept of shikanji may have arrived in our country with the early invaders. This drink is highly beneficial and is popular. Lemon juice sometimes with ginger, mint or even cumin, can be sweetened with jaggery, sugar or honey to ensure that one’s throat is never parched. Add some rose preserve aka gulkand to it and we have an exotic and fragrant Rose Shikanji.
So this summer, whilst we adorn our breezy look and spend quality time with family or friends, let us get back to our roots and allow ourselves to indulge in what our grandmas may have doled out to keep us in the pink of health until the season turns around again.