Whatever happened to Grandma's cooking

The mention of grandmothers certainly brings a lot of memories with it. Prayer lessons, hymns, lazy vacation afternoons, even scoldings and beatings. But while some of these things I still have, it's the food they cooked that I miss the most. And the magnitude of its loss is something I’m just beginning to realise.

The best part of whatever grandmoms cooked was its authenticity. They never used mixers or non-stick pans. No readymade spices or curry pastes either. It was all pestle and mortar, grindstone and fresh ingredients that came all the way from the native village. I think the use of a gas cylinder as opposed to a wood-fired stove was the only thing that kept the food from being one hundred percent authentic.

Then, there were the recipes. So many of them are now lost and those that are still made at home just don’t taste the same. I'll start with my paternal grandmom. An orthodox, stubborn, short-tempered woman from North Goa who liked to rule her house with an iron fist!! She was a great cook though and spent a lot of time in the kitchen. She was an expert at fish and went to the market every Sunday for fresh catch. And unlike how it’s done now, she shelled and de-veined the prawns and gutted and sliced the fish all at home. She used a lot of coconut in her food and all the grinding was done using an old grindstone that she got from her ancestral village home. She made a great variety of fish curries and all of them were lip-smackin good. Some of my favourites were dried shrimp and mackerel with grated coconut and chillies called 'Kismoor' in Konkani, her brilliant Solkadi (even the kokum pods for it came straight from Goa), and fried Pomfret stuffed with coconut chutney. When she made chicken on Sundays, she never used broiler, it was always the 'desi murgi'. And sometimes a bunch of unhatched eggs of different sizes came along with it, which went into the curry. Fuckin amazing is all I can say!! The desserts she made were the most unique ones I’ve ever had. Grated cucumber mixed with jaggery and steamed in a banana leaf, yellow bananas heated in sugar syrup and served with puris. I rest my case.

My other grandmom was a much mellower and likeable character, but she was an amazing cook as well, so much so that distant relatives from Mom's side of the family frequently dropped in to have lunch at her place. I spent many summer vacations there and every time I came back a few pounds heavier. She was great at cooking crabs and shellfish of all kinds. And even with her faded eyesight in old age, she was just as good. Sucking on the bone-marrow from her mutton curry is a favourite childhood memory. Come Diwali and she used to start her routine of preparing traditional sweet and savoury snacks. These were so popular, that demand for them came from all parts of the family, near and distant. Always eager to please, she would send out these goodies in packets to everyone who asked for them. The snacks we buy from shops for Diwali these days don’t even come close.

Then there are the memories. Going to the fish market on Sundays with my paternal grandmom was an experience in itself. All the fisherwoman turned their attention to their most regular and most demanding customer and she always managed to get the best catch and the best bargain at the same time. Mom and Dad have been trying to do that for years now, without much success. During summer vacations at maternal grandma's place, crabs used to be brought home and declawed alive. The terrified look on my cousin's face as she jumped up on the kitchen table is also a favourite vacation memory.

I could go on and on about the food my grandmoms cooked, the methods and ingredients they used and the stories surrounding their cooking. But the more I write, the more nostalgic I get. So I'll just end this post with a random but beautiful thought. How about a restaurant where only grandmoms cook all the food?

Europe - Hits and Misses

They say that all good things have to come to an end and so have my foodie stories from Europe. But going to Europe has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life, both in terms of the amazingly varied food i've eaten and otherwise. So its only fair that I write one final post dedicated to my time in this awesome continent before I return to posts closer to home. There is also a lot that I could not do and eat in Europe and I think all of that should also receive a mention on this blog for the benefit of those of you who might be lucky enough to go to Europe in the near future. So lets take this one country at a time.

En France

This is where I was based during my time in Europe. This is the only country in Europe where I cooked my own food. And yet somehow, this is where I missed out the most. Since I was on a tight budget, expenses on food also had to be controlled, which meant that restaurant visits were restricted to trips outside my base in Toulouse. Within France, I only went to Marseilles, Nice and Paris. While I had a good French meal in Marseilles, I did miss out on Bouillabaise, a fish stew invented in the city. Even in Toulouse, where I stayed, I missed out on the local speciality, the Cassoulet - a very popular stew made of beans and pork. Other more well-known specialities of authentic French cuisine that I missed out on were Grenouille(frog legs) and Escargot(snails). Dijon in Burgundy was where I desperately wanted to go for gastronomic pursuits. Dijon is famous for its wine, and produces the best mustard and beef in the world. The Champagne region, wine from Bordeaux, mussels from Arcachone and Biarritz, the list just goes on. Well, lets hope I can revisit France soon enough and get a taste of the joie de vivre, atleast as far as food is concerned.

In Deutschland

Germany is not really known for its food and my disappointment with the food at Oktoberfest makes me feel that I did not miss out on much here. But I had the good fortune of being in Munich at the right time and gulp litres of the world's best beer(Paulaner). However, there was some good food in Munich, albeit in bits and parts. The sausages with mashed potatoes were undeniably good and so was the Apfelstrudel. I only had German food at the Oktoberfest and maybe there is lots more to it. I'd rather reserve my judgement.

In Italia

The trip to Italy was marked by a few highlights. Pesto in Liguria where it was created, Gelato in a historic quarter of Rome, and Pizza in Pizzeria Da Michele of Napoli - The temple of Pizza. But then there were disappointments too. The Italian cucina is as vast and varied as any other and a week-long trip meant that I couldnt even scratch the surface. What did I miss here? Canoli(pastry), Frittola(assorted meat fats) and Marsala wine from Sicily, cheese and ham(best in the world) from Parma, a plethora of meat-based dishes from Bologna(Lasagna is the best known), Rissotto and Polenta from the north, Sambuca from Lazio, Antipasti from Florence and more pasta and sauces than you can eat in a lifetime. Well, I can go to Italy 10 more times, maybe even live there and still have regrets about not trying some dish or the other. It's best to just let it go.

En España

While in Spain, I only went to Barcelona and did have some great Catalan food while I was there. Escalivada, roast pork and desert at the gelataria, it was all brilliant. But my greatest regret also came in Spain, when I could not go to Valencia. Paella Valenciana at a roadside cafe near the Americas Cup coastline - It would have been the highlight of the trip! Tapas were also left untouched as I could not go to either Madrid, Seville or San Sebastian. Gazpacho(tomato and bread soup), Sherry, Serrano ham and Chorizo sausages are just some of the Spanish delicacies I would have tried, had I been able to spend more time there. But I'm all set to go to Spain next year for the running of the bulls and its only a matter of time before I get my hands on that Paella!

Em Portugal

Portugal was where I went last in Europe and by that time I had saved some cash. Plus food was the cheapest here and so I made sure I did not miss out on the must-haves. Francesinha and Port wine in Porto and Bachalau(cod) and Pastel de Nata(custard tarts) in Lisbon, I had them covered. But if only Europe could be conquered that easily. Porto is a meat-lover's paradise. Grilled Octopus, fish-head stew and tripe cooked in typical Porto style are few of the many delicacies found in Porto's home-style restaurants. Lisbon, on the other hand has more ways of cooking the codfish than there are days in a year. Some of its restaurants also serve the delicious suckling pig. Pico wine and Ginjinha are some of the drinks I could not have. But there will definitely be a next time!

Europe has so much to do, see and eat that a lifetime is not enough. I tried my best to experience as much of it as I possibly could in one trip. But the most important thing is that Europe worked its magic on me and I'm sure i'll keep going back to it for more.