Puttu: Kerala’s Comfort Food

Comfort food or breakfast staple? Kerala’s very own Puttu may just be the first fast food of the 16th century Keralites as it breaks all dimensions as it regains its status and supremacy as each Malayali household’s everyday breakfast- a nourishing, fulfilling and yummy taste to the local taste buds.

PUTTU AS SERVED WITH CHANNA CURRY AND BANANAS. Source- cdnparenting

In a recent note that went viral on social media, a kid expressed his misery at having puttu every day, adding that "puttu ruins families." James, a third-grader from Bangalore, says it is his least favourite food because it hardens as it cools. While this ancient dish may be the source of misery for this poor kid, Puttu has emerged as not only a satiating dish for the hungry malayali soul but is also one that imparts the knowledge of culture to anyone eating it. Made correctly, puttu doesn't lose its softness even when cold. Frequent eater or first timer- puttu is a food for the soul.

Puttu (Malayalam: പുട്ട്; Tamil: புட்டு; Sinhala: පිට්ටු), alternatively spelled pittu (Tamil: பிட்டு), is a dish native to the South Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and parts of Karnataka, as well as Eastern and Northern Provinces in Sri Lanka. A mix of rice flour and grated coconut steamed in cylindrical containers, it is a breakfast staple in Kerala. Puttu can be paired with vegetarian or nonvegetarian side dishes- however its history lies in the vegetarian diet of the keralites of the ancient times. Puttu is usually a breakfast dish served hot with either sweet or savoury side dishes or meat curries.Today, it is most popularly and lovingly eaten with black channa curry or mixed with sugar, banana and papad for a satiating sweet flavour.

The method to cook puttu is easy and convenient. In fact, the exponential rise of puttu’s popularity, says the Chef Regi Mathew (Co-Owner and Culinary Director of Kappa Chakka Kandhari.), “can be attributed not only to the ease of making it – back then the kutti were made of bamboo instead of the brass, bell metal and steel that came later on – but also its versatility. He continues, “Puttu too could be combined with a variety of dishes and accompaniments, and it did fit like a glove. That and its ability to satiate and energise one for the better part of the day made it an easy pick, given that it could also be packed and taken to work.”

Puttu is made by slowly adding water to the grated rice flour- hot water for increased softness- till a correct texture is achieved which is neither too dry nor too wet. Salt is added according to taste as well as coconut shavings. Puttu is usually prepared in a two-sectioned aluminium puttu-kutti vessel. Water is kept in the lower section, and the puttu—a chamber where layers of grated coconut are inserted with the rice mixture—is kept in the upper section. The vessel is put on the stove/ gas for 8-10 minutes. To allow the steam to go between the portions, a perforated lid partitions them.

“The quick preparation simply wasn’t the only factor that worked with puttu and its wide acceptance though,” quips Chef Chalapathi Rao, Chef-Owner, Simply South. “It was also the theatrics, the familiar taste and even the composition, which was on par with the diktat of wellness.”

Puttu is a traditional dish of the Malayali people. They can't, however, claim to have been the first to make it. For a cuisine that has significant cultural relevance and nostalgic appeal, its past is fraught with folklore that gives rise to several schools of thought.

Therefore, Chef Mathew and well-known author K T Achaya think that puttu may have originated in Southeast Asia and then travelled to Kerala where it became a common street meal. Chef Thampan, however, claims that puttu was brought to our shores at the request of the then King of Travancore by the skilled coconut tree climbers from Sri Lanka.

Given that steaming as a method has been around since the 6th century, another food myth claims that puttu is an indigenous invention. Another factor that supports this theory are the different variants, ranging from Malaysian Putu Bambu Or Putu Piring, Sri Lankan katta Sambol, Philippines Puto and Indonesian Kue Putu who have born allegiance to the Tamil Puttu. Even in India, puttu not only inspired the idiyappam and to some extent the modakam but also the Assamese Tekeli Pitha that follows the same culinary technique. A dish like this is called Sungapitha in Assam.

According to Chef Rao, it is entirely possible that puttu travelled from Kerala to the various kingdoms with traders and travellers in search of greater opportunities. The historical empires whose borders reached as far as Bali and beyond may also be a role. Puttu and its relatives may have developed as a result of such cultural contact. Puttu is alleged to have been referenced in the book "Thirupugazh" by Tamil poet Arunagirinathar from the fifteenth century.

The one thing everyone seems to agree on is what makes a good puttu. “A well-done puttu is always moist, even when it is cold. And there is where the charm of puttu remains, as a soft puttu with sweet undernotes is all it takes to fall in love with this classic breakfast.