India is the country that celebrates hundreds of festivals, small and big, in a single year and each one of those are celebrated with large amounts of food.

Let me wish our lovely readers a very, happy and food-filled Pongal and for those celebrating the great, auspicious, Makar Sankranti, I wish you lots of kite-flying and plates full of food. Pongal symbolises the abundance of harvest and prosperity.  On this special day, people celebrating the festival, typically cook dishes with the newly harvested rice, jaggery and moong dal.

The word ‘Pongal’, in both Telugu and Tamil, signifies the boiling over of the rice, in the cooking pot. Well, ‘Pongal’ literally means, ‘boiling over’. It is widely celebrated in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Even though Pongal was originally a festival for the farming community, today it is celebrated by all. Co-inciding with Makara Sankranti and Lohri of the north, it is also called Pongal Sankranti and thus celebrated in some form in various parts of India.

There can be lots written about the history and the origins of these festivals, but in this post, we are going to focus solely on the food aspects of these festivals. We bring to you recipes from across India – the Doodh Puli from West Bengal, Kalagaya Kura from Andhra Pradesh, Venu Pongal and Sukkarai Pongal from Tamil Nadu, Ellu Sadem and Madeli from Karnataka, Undhiyu from Gujarat and Khichdi from UP. Same festival, different foods..what’s not to love? Lots to learn and lots to eat…Happy festivities, lovely people!

You hungry yet? Which ones are you picking then? I made some til laddoo and Khichdi. Do tell us how you get on with them. Or are you still full from the festivities of yesterday? I am enjoying my steaming hot ‘khichdi’ with some papad and pickle and am reminded of the kite-flying scene from the Bollywood film ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ as I watch a couple of people flying kites from my window.

Happy kite-flying and festive eating, people!

XO, Nupur

 

Cover Image : via