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Brinjal not served in Brahmin houses !

To [email protected], Iyer123
Friends,
I do not know whether sarcasm is embedded in Sri. Ramachandran’s short post or not but I will never say ‘no’  when someone is prepared to feed me a mezhukkuperatti with tender kaitthiririkkai along with kurumulaku rasam. I do not know how such a tasty vegetable earned a ‘bad name ‘ among some of us as to be treated almost as an outcast , despite its dazzling, smooth external and pulpy , tasty internal. I do not however like when its skin is dry and furrowed, as I dislike anything old except myself.
MIL to  Ammalu, the DIL  🙁 in the olden days)
உணக்க கத்திரிக்காய் மாதிரி   இருந்தாய்  நீ
ஒன்கா த்திலே இருந்து  இங்கே வந்தப்போ
பெங்களூர் கத்திரிக்காய் மாதிரி ஆயுட்டாய் இப்போ.
பீத்த்ரதுக்கு ஒன்னும் கொறவு  இல்லை .
Onanga kathirikkai mathiri irunthai nee
Ongathilenthu inke vanthappo.
Bangalore kathirikkaI mathiri aayuttai
Peetharathukkonnum koravillai
Did Ammalu reply ? No, she prepared a tasty kathirikkai koottu and while serving the third dose to her MIL, simply asked, ‘Amma, onaaka kathirikkai naanna irukka?’
‘Irukkudi amma, ennavaanalum kathririkkai kathirrikkai than.’
Do remember this mattuppon when you enjoy your kathirikkai poduthuval or kootttu next time.

2 thoughts on “Brinjal not served in Brahmin houses !

  1. Shivalli Brahmins were not eating Brinjals. But the 16th century saint Vadiraja got some specially variety of brinjal grown in Mattu village near Udipi, offfered it to the God Lord Hayavadana for 48 days and there after Mattu gulla is a preferred vegetable for Lord Krishna. The traditions continues even today. Read more on Google/yahoo searches by searching MATTU GULLA.
    To prevent the onsalught of Bt Brinajal of Monsanto, now the Udupi Mattu Gulla Brinnjal is protected by the Geographical Indication Act of India. See the following scientific articles for the
    story of man, science and GOD relationship.
    1. Ramesh V Bhat and Mattu N Madyastha 2007, Preserving the heritage of Mattu gulla – A variety of brinjal unique to Udupi District, Current Science vol 93, 905-906
    2. Ramesh V Bhat and S Vasanthi 2008, Antiquity of the Cultivation and Use of Brinjal in India Asian Agri-History Vol. 12, No. 3,169–178
    inserted by Ramesh V Bhat, former colleague of Shiva

  2. Sir,
    Brinjal is a vegetable which is not included in the traditional list of items in the menu for Srardham.
    Otherwise, there was no hard and fast rule prohiting consumption of birinjal (not BT, of course)
    in the brahmin community. I am also a Palakkadan, now 78 years old and even my forefathers,
    as far as I know, did not say anything against this tasty vegetable
    vaidyanathan

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