The Tradition of Salt and a Haphazard Feast

 

I had this delicious plate of food for lunch today. There’s organic brown rice with Brahmi tambuli, Surinam spinach and potato sambar, some fritters—we call them Chakkuli (which look like starry sticks) and Kodubale (rings)—along with some salt and pickle. When following traditional customs, we always place a little salt on the plate before serving the rest of the food. There’s even a specific spot for the salt on the banana leaf that we follow. (I’ll definitely show y’all this culture and tradition in future posts.)

Do you know why we have salt on our plates, even if we don’t always consume it? Here’s what my ajji (grandmother) says:

“If you deny salt, whatever you eat will be equivalent to poison.”

What?! Seems extreme, right? But there’s a good religious reason behind this, and my ajji puts it simply. Salt is considered a purifying agent. It’s believed to ward off negative energies and bring blessings. Serving it first is seen as a way to sanctify the meal. This tradition definitely supports Ajji's words. There are many such interesting customs if we dig deeper.

However, the plate you see in the picture wouldn’t be approved by elders, even though the food is delicious and healthy. Why? Because I served myself haphazardly, not following the traditional order! Not only for banana leaf serving, but we also have certain rules for serving food on regular plates. After the salt is placed, all the side dishes should follow in a clockwise direction. For example, pickle, chutney, palya, chakkuli, kodubale, etc. (A never-ending list!) should be served in order. Then, small portions of rice are taken for each dish: some for sambar (huLi), some for tambuli, and so on.

But in my 'hurry-burry, can’t-wait-to-eat' state, I served myself almost everything at once and enjoyed it thoroughly. As I always say, my mom cooks the best, and I’m lucky to have such a healthy, lovely meal for most of the year. :)