By N.K.A. Ballal, Retd. Sr. Vice-President, ITDC
What is so special about March 30? Well, it is the “World Idli Day.” What is so special about this simple but popular dish? In layman’s word, a dish made from a fermented black lentil, rice, steamed and served with either a chutney or sambar. The fermentation process breaks down the starches so that they are easily digested. Since there is no oil involved in the preparation, it is also highly recommended by doctors, post surgery or illness too. So much so, the WHO recommends this dish as the healthiest food on this earth ! Where did this wonder dish originate from? Food historian K.T. Achaya opines that idli must have been invented in the kitchens of the Hindu kings of Indonesia, and not India since they were the only ones using “fermentation” as a process of cooking. The cooks must have travelled to India and brought with them the recipe of this dish during the 800-1200 ce. The modern idli (idly) is also mentioned in several Kannada literary works but most of them refer to using the urad dal and not mention the usage of rice, the fermentation and the steaming process, which is the most unique thing about this wonder dish. Kannadigas claim that this dish has been invented by their ancestors but since it has found mention in some Tamil literature books, Tamilians too claim copyright of this wonder dish. How healthy is this dish? Have a look: Idli Energy - 167 kJ Carbohydrates - 7.89 G Dietary fibre - 1.5 G Fat - 0.19 G Saturated - 0.037 G Mono-unsaturated - 0.035 G Poly-unsaturated - 0.043 G Protein - 1.91 G
