Express Research: Why puttu is offered to an African deity in Fort Kochi

Express Research

EXPRESS RESEARCH

Dear reader,   Did you know that the technique of steaming, popular among rice based dishes in the southern coast of India is a foreign export? In the third story of our flash fiction food history series, ‘Kucini Tales’, Ari Gautier and Ananya Jahanara Kabir delve into the extraordinary history of the traditional Kerala dish, ‘puttu’. ‘Puttu’, which means ‘portion’ in Malayalam evolved in the South China sea, and came to the Malabar coast through trade relations in the Eastern Indian ocean.    Puttu is also part of an interesting ritual wherein it is offered to the Fort Kochi deity, ‘Kappiri Muthappan’— a Black African who is believed to walk around cemeteries clad in a suit, hat, and chains, smoking a cigar. Researchers believe that the ritual serves as a cultural memory of a large African memory in Kochi that was erased after the region fell to the Dutch. The African presence in Fort Kochi before the Dutch came in, was on account of the Purtuguese presence here and the trade in African slaves they engaged in. Gautier and Kabir’s piece, disentangles the complex historical relations between the iconic Kerala dish and the different kinds of people who lived and traded in the Malabar coast of India in the 16th and 17th centuries.    This week for Streetwise Kolkata, Neha Banka narrated the story behind Budhu Ostagar Lane in central Kolkata. Ostagars are listed as a backward class in the state who traditionally involved in the tailoring occupation. Banka’s piece looks at how this narrow bylane of old Kolkata came to preserve the memory of an unknown tailor.    This week the Indian government had prepared to deport a 14-year old Rohingya girl to Myanmar amidst escalating violence in the country. While officials halted the deportation at the last minute today, the issue of Rohingya refugees’ status in India has been an ongoing one for the past several years. In this piece from 2017, we dug deep into the ethnic and historical identity of the Rohingya and explained the politics over their lack of citizenship.    Wishing you a pleasant weekend ahead.   Sincerely,   Adrija Roychowdhury

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Cannabis in India: A rather long story, with its highs and lows   Steamy business: An African spirit in Fort Kochi saves the puttu from crumbling   Streetwise Kolkata: Budhu Ostagar Lane, in memory of an unknown tailor   Who are the Rohingya?

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