Ganesha's Culinary Delights

Contributed by Vidya...

Ganesha Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chaturthi is one festival with which many of our childhood memories are associated; and a walk down the childhood memory lane is never complete without visiting the culinary corners of the memory lane. The festive times in India always remind us about some special dishes that are especially cooked during those times of the year only; and that's so true with our favorite Ganesha's festival too.

Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in Andhra, Telangana, Karnataka,Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and many other parts of India, and the Prasad or Naivedyam recipes or foods differ slightly from region to region. Naivedhya (Sanskrit: नैवेद्य) is a Sanskrit word which means 'an offering to the God', in the stricter sense of the words. A variety of dishes, all the mouth watering ones, are cooked during this festive time. Whilst there are many that one could think about, but we would like to introduce you to the most important ones here... Starting with the land we are born & brought up in... Jai Maharashtra.

Modak

Modak is a sweet dumpling popular in western, eastern and southern regions of India. It is called Modak in Marathi (मोदक), Oriya (ମୋଦକ), Konkani, Gujarati languages; and called as Sughiyan in Malayalam (സുഖിയൻ), Modhaka or Kadubu in Kannada, Modhaka or Kozhakkattai in Tamil, and Kudumu in Telugu.

Modaks are prepared in two distinct varieties, i.e. Steamed & Deep Fried.

Patoleo

Patuli refers to a technique of cooking prevalent across the Indian sub-continent, wherein the contents to be cooked are wrapped in leaves, and then cooked over heat or steam. However the delicacy we are now discussing about is and version of Patuli mostly prepared in the western coast of India.

In this region, it's called as "Patoleo", or "Patoli", or "Turmeric Leaf Cakes". It is made of grated coconut, rice and jaggery, and cooked by wrapping and steaming in turmeric leaves. The Konkani Maratha community and Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin prepare Patoleos on the second Sunday of Shravan, Nag Panchami, and Hartalika i.e. the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi. Salt free Patoleos, are offered to Goddess Parvati, who the legends say had a strong craving for these sweets during her pregnancy.

Dahi Poha

On the last day, after an overload of festivities, we bid a adieu to our beloved Ganpati Bappa with a light meal of dahi bhaat or dahi pohe.

Adding a Dash of Modernization

Giving a modern touch in addition to the traditional Naivedya... In consideration to interest of our chocolate lovers... here comes something different and special -