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Noor S.
April 4, 2018
What a great piece! I have noticed Indian friends scoffing at the turmeric latte trend and making references to "haldi doodh" and "manjal paal" but I'd been curious why I never came across this drink before, having grown up with Bengali (Bangladeshi) cuisine myself.
Devayani T.
October 1, 2017
In our childhood we got milk boiled with onion and Turmeric (Halad in Marathi) when we got a cold. As I had tasted that concoction multiple times, as adults it wasn't too bad to drink dudh with halad when I got incling of a sore throat. However, the amount of Turmeric people use in US in Turmeric Latte or curry is revolting. Brings all the bitter taste without the aroma and color you will get with the right amount. Whole Foods has curry rice that tastes of horrible turmeric and nothing else.
Mary
March 20, 2017
Greetings,
First I have to say - God bless you. This was quite an article. You really shouldn't trouble yourself so much about it all. All sorts of cuisines come to the US and are morphed into something quintessentially American. Just like us. It's a big melting pot. We have "Irish" food which is not really what the Irish eat. We have "Italian" food which isn't exactly what the Italians eat, and so and so forth. Immigrants make due with the ingredients they have here and put their own spin on it. Sometimes it's delicious, sometimes it's not, but the bottom line is that it is American - no longer Irish, Italian or Indian. And that's OK. It's what makes us wonderful. We all jump into the melting pot, swim together, and emerge Americans. Don't fuss so much about how things are made. If you enjoy them - great. If not - move on. And of course you can always create your own "authentic" dishes. And you can create anything you want. Your heritage might be Indian but you are free to cook whatever you want. Your Corned Beef and Cabbage can be delicious, as can your Pizza Pie - whether or not you come from those countries or have even set foot on their shores because many or our "ethnic" dishes are actually American inventions. And don't stress so much over the pronunciation of the spice turmeric. If you're speaking English it's quite fine to say "toom-ric". Just eat the food you enjoy and share it with friends and family. And remember - Imitation...even when it is not perfect...is the highest form of flattery.
Love, Mary
First I have to say - God bless you. This was quite an article. You really shouldn't trouble yourself so much about it all. All sorts of cuisines come to the US and are morphed into something quintessentially American. Just like us. It's a big melting pot. We have "Irish" food which is not really what the Irish eat. We have "Italian" food which isn't exactly what the Italians eat, and so and so forth. Immigrants make due with the ingredients they have here and put their own spin on it. Sometimes it's delicious, sometimes it's not, but the bottom line is that it is American - no longer Irish, Italian or Indian. And that's OK. It's what makes us wonderful. We all jump into the melting pot, swim together, and emerge Americans. Don't fuss so much about how things are made. If you enjoy them - great. If not - move on. And of course you can always create your own "authentic" dishes. And you can create anything you want. Your heritage might be Indian but you are free to cook whatever you want. Your Corned Beef and Cabbage can be delicious, as can your Pizza Pie - whether or not you come from those countries or have even set foot on their shores because many or our "ethnic" dishes are actually American inventions. And don't stress so much over the pronunciation of the spice turmeric. If you're speaking English it's quite fine to say "toom-ric". Just eat the food you enjoy and share it with friends and family. And remember - Imitation...even when it is not perfect...is the highest form of flattery.
Love, Mary
Adi
August 28, 2017
If I read correctly, this entire piece was along the lines of what Mary says in her comment above about the origins of turmeric latte, except more entertaining and eloquent. Not sure why Mary is telling the writer to chill when both Mary and Mayukh are questioning why Indian and Indian-American authors want to geographically peg this beverage to the subcontinent... my assumption is that Mary didn't finish reading.
Caroline L.
February 27, 2017
finally getting around to reading this, mayukh, and it's so good. thank you for writing it, and for the gift of your specificity.
Tiberia
February 20, 2017
Great article!
I've never understood this concept of "Indian" food. It's a huge country, with a diversity of cultures and geography that makes the head spin. People seem to understand the regional differences of Italy - why not India?
I've never understood this concept of "Indian" food. It's a huge country, with a diversity of cultures and geography that makes the head spin. People seem to understand the regional differences of Italy - why not India?
quiche'n'tell
February 20, 2017
Great, heartfelt piece. And I agree with Madhur Jaffrey. Till Indian food becomes what we eat at homes in different parts of India - from aloo bharta and gongura pulusu to Tripuri pork bharta and aamti, I'm afraid the paneer tikkas with their revolting red hue will continue to represent one of the most culturally and culinarily diverse countries in the world.
Edlyn
February 19, 2017
TURmeric and never had it with milk growing up in Goa. My uncle who had all the home remedies (and was from Bombay) visited on a day I had a cold and said I should stir haldi powder in warm water with half a Maggi cube. That was as much "haldi in a drinkable liquid" from my teenage years as I handled. When I moved to Bombay for college, it was much more common at the Parsi and Gujarati dairies there.
Katie
February 19, 2017
Loved this culturally informative article! Delightful. Can't wait to try the recipe. Thanks.
Ali
February 19, 2017
Gorgeous article that almost brought me to tears thinking of the home cooked meals made by friends of my parents. Your writing brings such joy count me as #1 Mayukh Sen fan.
Barney S.
February 18, 2017
This discussion sounds like it could be true of most ethnic foods. I dread to think what limited cuisine passes for 'American' food in foreign countries. Lobster rolls? Gumbo? Chicken fried steak? BBQ? Elk burgers? Bison burgers? I think your insight as the the national and media centers being in the north, and therefore the exported cuisine being northern is interesting. It is interesting to learn the other regional specialties from around the world.
Angana
February 18, 2017
I was made to eat "kaancha gota holud" when I was young. And sometimes I even apply it to face masks. Apart from the usual sprinkling on food. But that's where it stops. "Haldi Doodh" is a very North Indian drink, even the language indicates thus...I doubt if any of my friends would have ever gulped this down in Calcutta.
But cosmetic application, yes. Clothes stained, frames of spectacles turning orange, yellowish patches clinging to facial hair... all girls have had that love-hate relationship with "holud" nevertheless. Today still if I feel unwell, I would be asked to gargle with saline water and have hot chicken soup. "Haldi Doodh" will never be on the list. But I think this is a very Bengali thing, particular to only the bengalis of Calcutta. My non-Bong friends in Calcutta do have this as their go-to drink of health and comfort in times of cold and cough.
But cosmetic application, yes. Clothes stained, frames of spectacles turning orange, yellowish patches clinging to facial hair... all girls have had that love-hate relationship with "holud" nevertheless. Today still if I feel unwell, I would be asked to gargle with saline water and have hot chicken soup. "Haldi Doodh" will never be on the list. But I think this is a very Bengali thing, particular to only the bengalis of Calcutta. My non-Bong friends in Calcutta do have this as their go-to drink of health and comfort in times of cold and cough.
Rinku B.
February 17, 2017
Great article! Turmeric Latte is about as Indian as Chai Tea, or make that Chai Tea with Vanilla. As many others have pointed out, turmeric is as essential to the Indian pantry as olive oil is to the Italian one. The key is how to use it, rather than market it into another trendy crazy concept. Speaking of North Indian households, given that I am married into one, not really an every day thing, certainly not something enjoyed as a drink, as a medicine, certainly.
Tulasi-Priya
February 17, 2017
Haldi doodh was bequeathed me by an Indian friend when she saw (heard!) that I had an unshakeable cough that had been going on for months. Longer than that, though, I'd had chronic bronchitis for my entire life, the legacy of a bout of untreated pneumonia when I was four. She told me she'd had to pay her young daughter to drink it when she was sick, five bucks per dose, every day for a month. To the basic recipe she added fresh or dried ginger, ajwan, and clove. Definitely an acquired taste, but I grew to love it. Considering my condition was quite stubborn and of longer duration, I took a cup and a half twice a day. Every day, morning and evening, I drank it faithfully, my cough gradually diminishing, and after two months of the regimen I was cured, and the hack never returned, except during a cold or flu. I've since recommended it to countless friends, one of whom swears by it, calling it "magic milk."
Ross R.
February 16, 2017
Being from Texas, all I could really think of when I saw "haldi doodh" was "howdy dude." So now every time I eat turmeric I'm going to want to say "howdy dude" to my hot plate.
Karishma
February 16, 2017
Love this! I've had similar feelings, but didn't know other Indians felt the same way. I remember my mom trying to get me to rub the stuff on my face, like a face mask, and I always hated it. We never drank it, though!
Panfusine
February 16, 2017
Rubbing it on the face I thought was a South Indian ritual. Every bathroom had to have a little pot of turmeric to apply on the face (maybe because of its anti inflammatory properties, but man, the consequent issues at school were another story!). there is a specific variety of turmeric called 'Kasturi manjal' (Manjal is turmeric in Tamil) which has this amazing aroma. I could send some over to the Food52 crowd if anyone is interested/curious.
Karishma
February 16, 2017
Interesting! My mother is from Maharashtra, so I wonder where she got it from. She always used to say it'd make our skin fairer. They had it at the bathrooms at school?
Tulasi-Priya
February 17, 2017
I adore the aroma of any kind of turmeric. I've been thinking of how to get my hands on some essential oil of the stuff. Where can I find this Kasturi manjal? Are we talking fresh or dried? If I get some fresh, I will try to grow it here in North Central Florida.
Panfusine
February 17, 2017
getting a fresh rhizome of Kasturi turmeric would be a prize catch! picked up some dried sticks of it during a visit to Chennai, and a bag of the powdered stuff as well, unlike GInger, dried turmeric is very hard to crush into a powder.
Laura W.
February 16, 2017
You are clearly my neighbor bc I see Upstate from my home but have never ordered a TURmeric latte there...I went to a health supportive culinary school in Manhattan and turmeric was and ingredient we spoke about a lot, as we did with many many health supportive ingredients...what they were, how to use them, what their properties were...I love turmeric and it is meant to have anti-inflammatory properties, but that is not across the board for everyone...you'd never know that with it being added to anything and everything these days, in the name of health...but to actually sing it's praises, I swear by the fresh root and to me, the color is lovelier and the taste is less sharp...Thank for this article...enjoyed it a lot and also your other writing...best to you
ChefJune
February 16, 2017
Loved this. One of my pet peeves is mispronounced words like TURmeric. Who said they could leave out the first "R"? Reminds me of the chronically mis-pronounced environment - a word almost everyone including all the newscasters say as "envirement." (teeth gnashing)
Laura W.
February 16, 2017
oh Chef June how right on you are...also, where does the R go in maRjoram?...it's MARjoram not MAjoram
E
February 16, 2017
Woooo excellent piece! Also, like some of the other comment already said, I was force fed haldi doodh during my childhood by my grandmothers. It was not something I looked forward to, and a few times, I would puke it out. Color me surprised when turmeric lattes came onto the scene. I actually consume turmeric on my own in curries or when I'm making sipping broths, so I thought ok, let me try this over priced turmeric latte. NO GOOD!!
Merrill S.
February 16, 2017
Love everything about this piece, Mayukh -- and fantastic illustration by Kit Mills!
Olivia B.
February 16, 2017
Beautiful article (and killer illustration). Eye-opening without being angry. Love it.
Kelly M.
February 16, 2017
Wow, what a beautifully written article about something that usually gets little to no attention. You really have opened my eyes to how single-minded we are when it comes to such a complex and diverse places as India. I look forward to finding some Bengali recipes and cooking up some southern Indian food. And I truly hope that Indian food gets its American moment very soon; I can't wait.
Whiteantlers
February 16, 2017
Bravo! More wonderful writing! Please don't ever stop. Whether you are writing about commercials, marshmallow fluff or your childhood food, every piece is like a delicious, satisfying meal for the mind and soul.
AJ K.
February 16, 2017
Very well noted. I too have been a bit perplexed by turmeric lattes and noodle broths popping up in artisanal cafes and blogs alike. Growing up in Northwest Pakistan I only heard about haldi doodh occasionally from my grandmother who was originally from India. She would bring up its benefits if one of us would be heading towards a cold or had a sprained joint that would in these days warrant an ibuprofen or such. I make the turmeric/honey/milk/cardamom concoction more so now as an adult if i'm needing some anti inflammatory relief and have come to enjoy the taste of the otherwise bitter elixir from childhood. Surprisingly it did help curb the swelling and pain from a sprained ankle last year. Go figure.
Rima
February 16, 2017
I grew up in West Bengal with my moms family from WB, so I consider myself foremost a Bengali, however I was fed doodh-e holud couple times and I remember puking it out. Not sure how common it is among Bengalis more than North Indians.
I would never feed that thing to my kids - feeding normal tasty food is hard enough, dont need more food drama!
I would never feed that thing to my kids - feeding normal tasty food is hard enough, dont need more food drama!
Annada R.
February 16, 2017
Another winner of an article, Mayukh! Though haldi doodh is not woven into my consciousness of childhood, it was present on the periphery, in winters on occasions of colds & sore throats & I grew up in Bombay. Though I was not outraged by the "turmeric latte" trend, it definitely was a topic of discussion and source of laughter in my family. Just confirmed my impression that anything that has even vague-seeming ancient, old-world, socio-cultural, wellness, health related connections will be picked up as a trend.
Panfusine
February 16, 2017
Manjal paal / haldi doodh was (& remains) that dastardly beverage that was force fed to you at the first sign of a cough.. associated with maternal fingers pinching the nostril to make you swallow and yet not gag at that horrid aroma of warm steamed milk and pungent haldi! There , Rant over! :-D
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