( ‘ONIONS AND
POTATOES’ OR ‘GANDA OLLUV’ AND KASHMIRIS )
It is believed that onion originated from ancient Egypt. And
by now, it has been in cultivation for
about 7,000 years.
Potatoes were grown for domestic consumption in some Latin
American country. From Latin America, Spanish settlers brought the potato to
Europe sometime in the 16th century.
From Europe, Portuguese introduced the potato to the Indians in the 17th century. They called it 'Batata' and it is still
known by the same name in Maharashtra. Later British traders introduced potato
cultivation in Bengal where it came to
be known as Alu. By the end of the 18th century, it was cultivated in entire
north India. In Kashmir, potato cultivation was introduced during the Dogra
rule.
Nilamata Purana is silent about potatoes and onions. In
Rajtarangini, Kalhana does not confirm the use of onion in Kashmiri kitchen or
cuisine. There is a mention of ‘ Palandu ‘ in 8th Taranga verse 143 but read in context, it is
like a herb or medicinal item presented to Guru along with incense and some
other herbs. Maybe some outsiders were carrying onion as medicine or special
herb for Kashmirian Kings or royal
families but the population as such was unaware of its usage in cuisine or
kitchen till 14th century.
To Kashmiris, both potato and onion appeared alien, not like
their own native green leafy ‘Haak’. Possibly onions and potatoes arrived in
Kashmir very late. I don’t know why Kashmiris were unkindly fascinated by this
combination of two words Ganda (onion ) and Olluv (potato).
For many centuries, Kashmiris treated both potatoes and
onions as something thrust on them. Although onions gradually found acceptance
in Muslim households, potatoes had to face some callous treatment from a common
Kashmiri. The common refrain from the use of potatoes was expressed by
Kashmiris
like this:-
“ ‘Treath yimun oluvun .Beyi osuai na kenh aeti ’ meaning ‘ To hell with
these potatoes. Couldn’t you find anything else in the market? "
Kashmiri Pandits use potatoes extensively during religious
fasts. Although Kashmiri Pandits relish
Dumallu ( A dish prepared from boiled and deep-fried
potatoes ) as a special dish in every feast yet they remain inimical to its
general use. The common sentence heard
in Pandit households is like this :
“Kyah chhukh olluv
khyvaan . Sienn paava anizihey ”
“ Why are you eating these potatoes? You should have bought
a Paav ( 250 gms ) of mutton.”
The disdainful attitude towards potatoes came to surface
when Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah was nicknamed as Olluv Bub ( potato father ) by
Kashmiris. Sheikh had advised Kashmiris to eat potatoes when rice crops failed
and drought-like situation prevailed in the valley. This fact has also been
recorded by V S Naipaul in his travelogue ‘ An Area of Darkness.'
While people in plains make bulk purchases of potatoes and
onions and store them, a Kashmiri generally buys need-based quantity. Kashmiri
Muslims prefer to use the shallot variety of onions known locally as Praan.
They use Praan extensively in their cuisine, especially in Wazwaan. Gradually,
Kashmiri Pandits have also brought onion
to their kitchen. Though they do not use it for preparation of their core or
traditional vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes like Yakhni, Rogan Josh, Mutsz
( mutton balls ), Haak, Dumallu, Pullav,
Rajmash ( kidney beans ), Tchaaman Kali ( yellow cheese ), Vozij Tchaaman ( red
cheese ), etc. Onion is liberally used
in salads, pickles and Indian style vegetables cooked in Kashmiri Pandit
households.
When I was young, I would be surprised to see that
carpenters at work would usually carry a dish of onions and potatoes in their
lunch tiffin. For some time, this dish got associated with carpenters. Many
times, when some Kashmiri saw this dish in a fellow Kashmiri’s tiffin, he would
instantly comment:-
“ ‘Kyah sa tche kyaa
az chhaana seinis pyath votmut . ’ meaning ‘
What happened? Why
have you come down to a carpenter’s dish today? ’”
And the disdain for potatoes and bulb onions would also get
reflected in streets. If a crowd of idlers could not find a suitable nickname
for a simpleton walking on the road, they would just call him ‘ Ganda-Ollu or
onion and potato ’.
Sometimes one would get surprised and start pondering as to
why a particular person is being hooted on his back by a strange nickname
‘Ganda- Tsoor or onion thief ‘. The person had the remotest link with either
onions or thieving.
And quite often I have heard Kashmiris saying:-
“ ‘Aeit ho, ba
chhuss vaenni heissuv. Mey
chuvv na vaenni Ganda- Rus’
meaning ‘ You beware, I am still in my
senses. I have not drunk onion juice as yet."
Here onion juice or Ganda- Rus meant liquor or some
intoxicating drink.
I found that boiled/fried potatoes mixed with chop fried
onions are a popular recipe in many European countries. Germans love this
recipe of mashed potatoes ( after boiling or deep frying ) mixed with chop
fried onions laced with herbs or spices.
It has now been established that both onions and shallots
contain Allicin, which helps lower blood sugar levels in diabetics. Shallots
have a milder taste and odour than onions, so shallots are more commonly eaten
raw.
Presently onions are extensively grown and used in Kashmir.
And the production of bulb onions far exceeds the production of shallots (
Praan ). To meet demand, onions are also imported into Kashmir. While demand
for potatoes and onions has surged, I am not sure about the past disdain that
Kashmiris used to give to these two items.
( Avtar Mota )
CHINAR SHADE by
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