Remember the most delicious and scrumptious food (or drinks) you’ve ever had. It could be something as simple as a bowl of piping hot idli- sambar or a steaming cup of tasty masala chai (with freshly ground adrak and elaichi ). And it may not necessarily be at a five-star hotel or a gourmet restaurant. You could have lunched at a humble dhaba, a small eaterie or then at some old friend’s home. Surprisingly even if this was years ago, you still remember it’s lip -smacking, yummy taste, fresh aroma and mouth -watering flavour. Wonder how something so simple was so delicious that it has been captured in your mind as a fond memory?
One of the many reasons why you prefer dining at a particular place more often is because the food served there has an authentic touch to it. When food is cooked in a traditional manner using age- old techniques, it gets that awesome, real and distinct flavour. Therefore our elders always mention how meals were so tasteful and gratifying in the olden days.
Cooking is an art; it requires patience and has to be done with love. In the olden days, the task of cooking was followed meticulously. Meals were prepared in clay pots, spices were freshly ground, vegetables and fruits were fresh from the farms and food was mostly served on banana leaves or in metal utensils like brassware, silver cutlery etc. These old rituals made food more palatable and they were also healthier ways to prepare and serve meals.
We complain about food being bland and boring most of the time. No wonder everyone craves to indulge in takeaways and eating at food joints frequently. Also the focus on food has increased in the past few years as we have become foodies. While walking down grocery aisles you will notice there is so much sold to enhance the taste of food. Packaged masalas (acting as add- ons to improve taste), different types of sauces, spices, creams, ground pastes, ready- to -cook gravy packets (guaranteeing restaurant- style taste) and much more. Our refrigerators and kitchen cabinets too are stocked with dozens of tiny bottles, packets and cardboard boxes.with a variety of such spices and pastes. But we never sit back and think if we really need all those extra spices and if we should invest in so many masalas and pastes.
Packaged spices and pastes are convenient to use and are easily available. But the disadvantage of using packaged, preground spices is that they are not fresh, and since they need to promote shelf- life they have preservatves. Again they have been ground in machines so they are not a healthy choice. Freshly ground spices have a robust colour and piquant scent. When you add them to food, your meals also get that vibrant colour and fresh aroma. This would be missing in a meal prepared from packaged spices ground about a month ago.
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