LENT FOOD OF KERALA CHRISTIANS
Lent is the six week period leading up to Easter. Lent starts on Ash Wednesday until its conclusion on Easter Sunday - a period of 40 Days, but there are 46 days between Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and Easter. An important period of time for Christians around the world. particularly those within the Anglican, Catholic and Orthodox traditions. A similar level of importance is given to Advent – the build-up period to Christmas. While Advent is a celebration and a time of great anticipation, Lent is seen as a time of solemn observance and preparation for the celebration of the death & resurrection of Jesus Christ. Lent has been a traditional time for fasting or giving something up or abstinence.
Christians around the world observe Lent in many ways. People who are more orthodox and traditional still observe the fast strictly, beginning with the wearing of ashes on Ash Wednesday and abstaining themselves from eating meat, fish. eggs including milk, sweets & alcohol until Easter Sunday. When I was married into a Christian family, my first thought was, do Christians fast and abstain themselves from eating meat. The idea was new to me. Learning the traditions and culture of a Christian household all these years and I am trying to uphold it in my own way. During the month of Lent, most of the household prepare vegetarian dishes & simple dishes. Some even refrain from eating Chocolates, Sweets etc.,
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week – the last week of Lent leading up to Easter. On Palm Sunday Christians everywhere remember Jesus’ triumphant arrival in Jerusalem. As Jesus rode a donkey into the town of Jerusalem, a large crowd gathered and laid palm branches and their cloaks across the road, giving Jesus Christ, a royal treatment. The hundreds of people shouted "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!"The Sunday before the Easter Sunday is celebrated as Palm Sunday and is called as Oshana(Hosanna) Perunnal/Kuruthola(Palm Leaf) Perunnal in Malayalam.
Certain food items prepared during the last 10 days of the Lent, have a lot of symbolic value. It has been followed by the community from time immemorial. A custom twisted to suit the regional values. Most of the culture and food has been followed as a family tradition. I am writing about the three main food Kozhukatta for Oshana Perunnal, Pesaha Appam & Paal for Maundy Thursday & Kanji- Rice Porridge for Good Friday, which comes across during the Lent Period in a Kerala Christian household.
Certain food items prepared during the last 10 days of the Lent, have a lot of symbolic value. It has been followed by the community from time immemorial. A custom twisted to suit the regional values. Most of the culture and food has been followed as a family tradition. I am writing about the three main food Kozhukatta for Oshana Perunnal, Pesaha Appam & Paal for Maundy Thursday & Kanji- Rice Porridge for Good Friday, which comes across during the Lent Period in a Kerala Christian household.
Here are some the food items which are symbolic of certain holy days of the Lent period followed by Kerala Christians:
Click on to the Picture for individual Recipes...
KOZHUKATTA
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| KOZHUKATTA |
In Kerala, it is popularly associated with Oshana/Palm Sunday, marking the beginning of the Holy Week. It is a solemn tradition in Kerala Christian homes to make Kozhukatta on the day or on the eve of Palm Sunday colloquially called as Kuruthola/ Oshana Perunnal. I always ask my MIL why Kozhukatta for Palm Sunday. She says that Kozhukatta is made commemorating the stones that were thrown on Jesus Christ during his suffering and crucifixion. We usually prepare this on the eve of Palm Sunday and we have begun to call the day as Kozhukatta Saniyarzhcha(Saturday). Some say that it is a local belief as similar to the ones of Easter Eggs.
PESAHA APPAM & PAAL
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| PESAHA APPAM & PAAL |
Preparation of Pesaha Appam is a tradition followed by Kerala Nasranis. Syrian Christians - A community well known in Kerala - according to tradition, are descendants from the converts of St.Thomas. Pesaha Appam is the Passover bread or the unleavened bread is a trademark of Christian homes in Kerala. The Body and the Blood distributed by God himself on this holy night is replicated in every Christian household in Kerala in the name of Pesaha Appam and Paal. Pesaha Appam/INRI Appam is a kind of bread/appam prepared with a combination of Rice, Urad Dhal, Coconut, Shallots, Garlic and spices. The bread should be unleavened and the most important aspect, like in the case of Jewish Passover, during its preparation is to avoid traces of any old food or fermentation. The ground batter is not allowed to ferment, and the Pesaha Appam is prepared immediately after the batter is prepared. The Pesaha Paal is a concoction prepared with a combination of Jaggery Syrup and Coconut Milk flavoured with Cardamoms & Dry Ginger. The Concoction is thickened with rice flour. It is served instead of Wine on Maundy Thursday. There are quite a lot of tradition and norms to be followed while preparing and serving this Pesaha Appam & Paal. The head of the family cuts the Pesaha Appam(into 13 pieces is the norm - Jesus Christ & his 12 Apostles) serves the Appam along with the Paal on the night of Pesaha Vyazhan(Maundy Thursday). If there are any leftovers, it is either consumed the next day which is Good Friday by the children during the day or in the evening by the adults – since it is a traditional Fasting day. Any further leftovers are dried and consumed later, but never thrown away.
KANJI/RICE PORRIDGE FOR GOOD FRIDAY
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| KANJI - RICE PORRIDGE |
Kanji is a simple Rice Gruel or Rice Porridge, a common and daily food of every Malayali. Though light to stomach it is loaded with energy boosting elements to give you all the strength for the toil of the day. It serves best as a simple and soothing food to rejuvenate a tiring day. Either had as a breakfast or as a dinner. But when it comes to Good Friday it is one major dish prepared in most of the Kerala Christian household. Kanji/Rice Porridge is the simplest, yet a nutritious meal & serves best after fasting. My MIL usually prepares a Vegetarian Sadhya with simple side dishes on Good Friday.
Kanjiyum Payarum, Chammanthiyum(Spicy Condiment) pinne Chutta Pappadavum. Payar usually comprises of Green Moong Bean/Red Bean Stir Fried with mild seasonings and grated coconut, Chammanthi is Kerala style dry spicy condiment prepared with coconut, mango, onions, Green chillies/dry chillies or dried shrimps. Pappadam can be deep fried in Coconut oil for an authentic flavour or just dry roast the Pappadam over direct flame for Chutta Pappadam.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS :
Serve Kanji - Rice Porridge with any of the following Pickles/Condiments/Side dishes or any dish of your choice. Or serve Kanji with a Pappadam(traditional Kerala Pappadam (fried in Coconut Oil)/Chutta Pappadam.
Chammanthi/Condiments :
Pickles :
- Garlic Pickle
- Green Apple Pickle
- Gooseberry Pickle/Nellikka Achar
- Avakkai Urugai
Stir-fry/Curries :
40 days of fasting and abstinence, if at all not in the name of God, would be a different and difficult task for most of us. My father always says the idea of fasting and refraining from eating meat/fatty food or delicacies is to rejuvenate, cleanse and detoxify our system. In the name of God we dutifully oblige to the terms and conditions, strictly abiding by the rules. When done at a stretch for 40 days it almost becomes a habit - a healthy habit. Anyway awaiting eagerly to plunge into the upcoming delicacies served on Easter Sunday. Most of the households serve an elaborate meal with almost all Non-Vegetarian dishes along with a hearty serving of Alcohol/Wine.
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