GOAT TUBER AND A CRAP CANDY
`You can make soup with this,'' my husband said as he placed a small packet on the table. I unwrapped it to find some mutton legs staring at me. When did he become a fan of mutton soup? He smiled watching my expression change and said, ``it's
goat plant. Not meat''
Believe me, I was seeing it for the first time. Like he said, it wasn't meat, though it matched the appearance. It was goat tuber, a variety of tuber/beet that he had bought from Yercaud. He said its name was `aadukal kilangu' and I googled to find more about it including its English name.
The recipe was available online and we made a soup. It tasted exactly like mutton soup! The same taste I had for five days consecutively after my gallbladder removal surgery.
It was one of those moments for me when I am filled with veneration and respect for the Creator. I mean, who else would think of making a goat and a tuber taste the same in spiced water?
I showed the tuber to the kids with all those strands sticking out exactly like hair in a goat's leg. They had a look of aversion on their face. I told them how Nature has such cute surprises in store for us. My son corrected me saying it was `gross' and not `surprise'.
Their antipathy didn't burn out my excitement to google out more on food items. My man had bought packets of my favourite marsh mellows for me. Suddenly I had this yearning to know what exactly it contained. I knew it was corn syrup and gelatin but what I didn't know was it had originated out of a plant too. It had all started out from the mallow plant species, the roots of which was used as a medicine to cure sore throat or cough. Google says that candy makers then started whipping the sap from the mallow root into a fluffy candy. They added egg whites too. Only the royalty got to taste it. But later by 1954, the automated process of marsh mellow making got popular and pounds of them were rolled out in a single day. But without the goodness of any herb or fruit.
It says what we get now is a far version (read shit version) of what it was. The protein now added is not egg white but gelatin. There is no plant, root or sap in it.
It felt like landing on floor with a thud. Three packets of marsh mellows wink at me. I would have devoured them by now but Google has dispelled my enthusiasm. Maybe tomorrow, I can forgive Google and make friends with marsh mellows again. Till then, I shall stay elated on the good vibes of a goat plant.
Believe me, I was seeing it for the first time. Like he said, it wasn't meat, though it matched the appearance. It was goat tuber, a variety of tuber/beet that he had bought from Yercaud. He said its name was `aadukal kilangu' and I googled to find more about it including its English name.
The recipe was available online and we made a soup. It tasted exactly like mutton soup! The same taste I had for five days consecutively after my gallbladder removal surgery.
It was one of those moments for me when I am filled with veneration and respect for the Creator. I mean, who else would think of making a goat and a tuber taste the same in spiced water?
I showed the tuber to the kids with all those strands sticking out exactly like hair in a goat's leg. They had a look of aversion on their face. I told them how Nature has such cute surprises in store for us. My son corrected me saying it was `gross' and not `surprise'.
Their antipathy didn't burn out my excitement to google out more on food items. My man had bought packets of my favourite marsh mellows for me. Suddenly I had this yearning to know what exactly it contained. I knew it was corn syrup and gelatin but what I didn't know was it had originated out of a plant too. It had all started out from the mallow plant species, the roots of which was used as a medicine to cure sore throat or cough. Google says that candy makers then started whipping the sap from the mallow root into a fluffy candy. They added egg whites too. Only the royalty got to taste it. But later by 1954, the automated process of marsh mellow making got popular and pounds of them were rolled out in a single day. But without the goodness of any herb or fruit.
It says what we get now is a far version (read shit version) of what it was. The protein now added is not egg white but gelatin. There is no plant, root or sap in it.
It felt like landing on floor with a thud. Three packets of marsh mellows wink at me. I would have devoured them by now but Google has dispelled my enthusiasm. Maybe tomorrow, I can forgive Google and make friends with marsh mellows again. Till then, I shall stay elated on the good vibes of a goat plant.
This goat tuber article is so interesting Asha. I have never heard of it before. My kids love marshmallows but I have heard they are not that healthy . Your research about its origin is so enlightening. Thank you for sharing:)
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