Day’s Tone with food

                                by Vijayanta Chitale

First Meal of Day

 Prima colazione, an Italian word that translates as First Lunch. This word is closest word found in any language across the globe, which single handedly defines nature of meal. Breakfast is first major meal of the day. It sets the tone of energetic feeling to carry out the day’s errands. The intake has to be thus adjusted as per the needs.  It should be substantial and complete in respect of nutrients.  At the same time should not give feeling of heaviness later and infringe your working.

At the table

Common convention is breakfast comprise of Bread, Butter, Jam, Cornflakes, Eggs, Fruit Juice or Milk.

However, being dependent on geographic positioning, it varies from continent to continent and also from country to country.

Steamed Rice is main stay of Japanese breakfast. The rice is eaten along miso soup and takuan or umeboshi Japanese style pickle. Eggs and fish are also served often.  It rounds up with Japanese Green Tea.

Cheese is essential in French breakfast. It comprises of Pains that is breads of different type, along with butter and jam along with orange or grape fruit juice. It normally winds up with café au lait (coffee with milk) or café noir (black coffee).

Hotels now days mostly offer Continental breakfast. This buffet style service. It normally comprises of fresh fruit juice, assorted breads, preserves like honey jam or marmalade. It ends with beverage like tea, coffee or chocolate. American breakfast spans over fresh fruit juice or cuts of fruits, cereals served with hot or cold milk, eggs or sausages, breads with butter, jam or marmalade.

Indian Scenario

There is no style of breakfast or Nashta as it is called in India. In North, parathas with buttermilk or curd, kachori or puris with sabji( vegetable preparations), jalebi with milk are common. In West, dhokla, khandvi, farsan, shrikhand, poha, bhakri( type of bread) with thecha ( spiced chilly chutney) are poular. Down south, it is idli, dosai, upama served along with sambar and coconut chutney is predominant. In some eastern part it is also referred as Tiffin. This could be ghugani ( chickpea preparation) with bread. Eggs known as Deem and potatoes are important aspect here.

Some dish now popular as niche food was actually Indian street food to start with. Pav Bhaji is classic example of this. The workers going to textile mills in Mumbai would have bread with some vegetable preparation before setting out for work. Bread in Marathi is referred as Pav and vegetable is called Bhaji. Thus a simple street food of 19^th century has evolved into exotic dish.

Misal Pav and Shev Bhaji Pav are also extension of same. Shev Bhaji is thick Shev put in hot spicy gravy and served with Bread. What is now heard as kathee kabab or frankies in some part are rolls on streets in Bengal. A pan cake is rolled up with some veg or non veg stuffing . Then wrapped and topped with mustard sauce.

Recipe of Poha

It is a rice flake preparation even recommended as Healthy Indian breakfast by nutritionists

                     FODNEE CHE POHE
            (FODNEE in Marathi means tempering)

Thick Poha 250gm, Chopped Onion (big) 1 nos, Choice of vegetables (potato, brinjal, peas, cabbage, or cauliflower) 1cup, Chopped Green chilies 3-4 nos, salt to taste, pinch of sugar, Roasted and shelled groundnut ¼ cup, for tempering oil, mustard seeds, turmeric,

For garnish – chopped coriander leaves, nimbu, grated coconut.

Wash and drain poha leaving little water for it to absorb. Leave aside for ½ hrs. Heat oil and prepare tempering. Add onions and stir for while. Now add choice of vegetable ( cut in shapes desired) and cook. Add groundnut. Reduce fire and put lid for vegetables to cook well. Increase heat, add washed poha and stir. Cook for a while on slow fire. When poha is done, remove from fire. Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves and coconut along with nimbu cut in small quarters.

The concept of Wedding Breakfast is still found in Maharashtrian marriages. The bride and his kith n kins, upon welcome at venue are offered a quick short meal comprising of snacks like chiwda, shankerpale, karanjee along with poha, upama, poorie bhaji etc. This is called Rukhvat