Book Excerpt: All about utensils from the Peninsula

The settled and traditional society of south India had the leisure to use its creativity in every area of life, even with respect to ordinary everyday objects such as culinary vessels. Shapes and materials were chosen according to the kind of food being prepared.

South Indians delighted in creating shapes for brass and bronze vessels, some of which can be found in stainless steel today. Thus, we find the bhogini (a low and wide-mouthed vessel used to make liquid sweets), and the chintamani, a pretty container with a rounded body and a little button-like holder on the lid. At this time, north India had fewer classic cooking vessels. Straight sided cylindrical cooking vessels called patila made of beaten metal were the norm. Dekchis and lotas which were curvilinear were the ones in the classical style. Copper and brass coated with tin were commonly used while large aluminium vessels were used for cooking on a large scale.

Traditional Indian cooking used firewood. The earthen stove was smoothened and polished to a fine clean shine. Auspicious flour patterns were drawn on it every day to indicate the sanctity of the fire that was going to be lit. The creativity of Indian craftsmen came to the forefront in creating proper vessels to cook food on these earthen stoves. Originally, pottery of different shapes and sizes were used for cooking. These earthen vessels were used till almost the end of the twentieth century in temples, orthodox homes and in many villages all over India. To this day, the rice-dal dish pongal, on the day of Pongal or Makara Śankarānti, the south Indian harvest festival, is cooked in a new earthen pot that has been bought specially for the occasion.

The shape of each vessel was designed for the cooking of a particular dish. Thus, wide-mouthed pots were used for making kuļambu (a thick gravy with tamarind and spices) that needed simmering even after it was pulled off the stove. Pots narrowing at the neck called eya chombu were used for rasam so that the frothing liquid would not overflow. For frying and seasoning, various sizes of vānali/woks were used. Other popular vessels were steamers and adukku (south India) and patila (north India), straight-sided round-mouthed vessels in which different liquid/ vegetable preparations could be made.

Brass vessels tinned inside were the order of the day till the 1940s and ’50s. Groups of metalworkers would come to the doorsteps of homes to offer their services. Many large landowning families used to own such vessels as all family functions including weddings were performed at home. These vessels came to be borrowed by other family members and friends for happy occasions in their own families.

During the 1950s, these vessels slowly disappeared from usage as they were difficult to maintain. They were replaced by the lighter and low maintenance stainless steel. Not so surprisingly, we find the old popular brass and bell metal vessels like urulis, rice pots, idli steamers and dosai kals being made in new materials today.

Excerpted with permission from Pure Vegetarian by Prema Srinivasan @2024HarperCollins