From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, Indian cuisine is all about diversity. This is quite evident in the fact that be it a piping hot cup of tea or biryani – there exist myriad recipes and names across the country for each item. The same holds good for kheer a (rice pudding) enjoyed popularly across the length and breadth of India. You call it payesh in Bengali and payasam in Kerala, which is derived from the Malayalam word peeyusham, meaning “ambrosia” or “nectar.” It is also said that this word is derived from the Sanksrit word kshirika (meaning a dish prepared with milk). Similarly, this dessert is available in different forms – it can be made of fox nuts, tapioca, cracked wheat, vermicelli and even bottle gourd.
Albeit these variations have made their presence in the hearts of many Indians, rice kheer remains a classic favourite. What is even more beautiful about this dish is that it is the epitome of India being a melting pot of cultures and cuisines. This delectable delight is commonly served at Muslim and Hindu festivals and special occasions. Even more fascinating is the tale of the origins of this endearing dish.
Kheer finds mention even in Ayurvedic texts, which recommend it in their list of happy foods for good health. The first mention of this dessert, according to historians, is found in the fourteenth century Padmavat of Gujarat, as a sweetmeat prepared using jowar and milk. During the Chola dynasty, rice was used as an important ingredient in all important religious functions & hence, kheer became an important part of these rituals.
It is also quite amusing that kheer played an important role in the construction of Konark Temple. Legend has it that the chief architect’s son used a bowl of warm kheer to show how a bridge could be built to the point so that a foundation can be laid. This was also the day when a new form of kheer, called the gointa godi kheer, came into being. Post the Kalinga War, this mouth-watering treat was one of the evening staples in Ashoka’s palace.
According to another folklore, Lord Krishna took the form of an old sage and challenged the great king who ruled over that region around Guruvayoor and Ambalappuzha to a game of chess. The sage’s only condition was that if he wins, an amount of rice grains for each square of the chess board, each pile having double the number of grains than the previous pile should be distributed in the temple. The king couldn’t get the enormity of the number, and even lost the game. After that, the culture of distributing payasam in temples is said to have commenced.
The craze for kheer is not exclusive to India. It is said that Romans used it as a stomach coolant and often used the rice pudding as a detox diet. The Persians were the first ones to introduce the use of rose water and dry fruits in the dish, called ‘phirni’. Till then, it was made by boiling rice first and then adding milk. People in Iran and Afghanistan, too, have a melt-in-the-mouth rice pudding specialty, which can be had both as a savoury or a rich sweet dessert made with saffron and rosewater called ‘Shola’.
China’s Ming dynasty was also known for its own version of kheer, which is made of fruits soaked in honey. Gradually, the popularity of this dessert spread along the Spice Route and reached Europe. During Shakespeare’s era, people relished baked rice pudding.
Over the years, springing from the simple preparation of milk, rice and sugar to a complex preparation with several ingredients and fusion elements peculiar to different regions, kheer has had a pretty eventful journey. Yet, with all the culinary innovation we have today, it remains a sought after old world charm – simple, satisfying and highly fulfilling.
A Certified Sommelier (CMS), a WSET DipWSET
Gulab jamun, gajar ka
Be it the times of Indus Valley Civilization
A non-vegetarian’s delight and a Punjabi
.jpg)
Tea Trunk’s founder, Snigdha Manchanda, ta
Tandoori chicken is a popular party starter
From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, Indian cuisine
If you’re a coffee addict and want to try
Breakfast is said to be one of the most impo
Luke Coutinho believes that Indian food
If there is one thing in India that winters
The soothing stroll against the placid water
The diverse agro-climatic conditions of Indi
The winds of technological change are effect
Dr. Snehal Adsule, a popular dietician &
Be it the crowded corridors of Chandigarh’
That India is a land of diversity is an indu
From ice age to the age of industrial revolu
We live in a country where recipes change ev
Land that is draped in layers of beautiful f
The season of Diwali is a time not just for
With the season of Diwali in full swing, mar
Be it ushering in good times after a propiti
Diwali, the festival of lights is right arou
If there are two things that come to one’s
Sujit Patra from India Tea Association writ
Even if you have no past context, just the m
“We are all immigrants.” This statement
Be it last minute exam prep, late night outing wit
An ostentatious state with a vibrant
Black, green, tulsi, Earl Grey, mint, camomi
Rice is a staple food in many Indian househo
The season of festivities is here and there
A foodie’s paradise, Lucknow is famous all
Do you know that khichdi, the ultimat
Endowed with mesmerizing shrines, vibrant ha
Can anybody be in Agra and skip out the more
Jackfruit has earned the sobriquet of being
A rejuvenating tea whose popularity is as fa
Taking a break from my office, I decided to
Cold-pressed virgin coconut oil can be used
The most toothsome delicacy of the South is
With the rising propensity of consumers towa
Nalanda is famous since the nascent stages o
Yellow taxis, tangas, vibrant festiva
Giloy can be used as a decorative plant to e
Known for its rich cultural and historical legacy
The “Champagne of teas", Darjeeling T
The city of Agra is the city of love which h
Remember your mommy giving you a pinch of ye
If you enter into an archetypal Indian weddi
From intermittent fasting & keto diets t
With a transformational shift in eating habi
Originated in the late 18th century in
In common parlance, squash would not come ac
With changing Indian political history, food
Shout out to all those gym-freaks and body c
India is the leading producer of lemon, a fr
The Chestnut, which was originated 3,000 yea
When it comes to Kochi, many of us might jus
Many people think of pumpkins as little more than
One of the specialties offered in Lucknow du
The ‘non-veg’ in veg variations of mock
Indians are die-hard rice lovers and nobody
India offers so much on its culinary platter but t
Blessed with tropical climatic conditions, India g
A gluten-free diet is in trend and almost ev
If you thought that all the action in busine
Purani Haveli's known to be the place or ori
Shaped like a conch, the butterfly pea flowe
A well-rounded diet includes plenty of veget
The ubiquitous mania for healthy making and
Did you know that, 4,000 years ago, the Hara
Chestnuts which were originated 3000 years b
From the by lanes of Kolkata and the temples
Since the advent of life on earth, “Salt"
The advent of Hamburger to the world’s pal
Multiple research have found in t
A fruit believed to have originated in India
"Spices" or "Masalas" have been an innate part of
Famous as the beverage crop even before
Samosa is one of the most famous snacks in I
A good source of protein, a powerful store o
The alluring smell of those kababs, the head
One of the oldest and most effective advice of all
The much talked of, Vegan diets, are know
Now-a-days, every one of us are up with a constant
Plant-based meat alternatives that look and taste
Every one of us must have, positively, read and le
Celiac disease, sometimes called celiac sprue or g
© TPCI 2019. All Rights Reserved
