MAGAZINE
India's Traditional Liquids — Part I
Lassi in a kulhad, whisked with a wooden madani. The first half of a country-wide round-up of legendary Indian beverages, each with a nutritional purpose and a climatic logic.
The traditional drinks of India are complex, eclectic and multi-dimensional, with an exuberance of colour and flavour. Some heavy, some light — each with a nutritional purpose, a distinctive taste and a climatic benefit.
Part I rounds up the classics. Lassi, an heirloom of Punjab as famous as its mustard fields: cold yoghurt spiced with cumin and salt, whipped to a creamy, uniform consistency, almost as heavy as a meal. Connoisseurs insist on home-made curd for the right thickness, a splash of milk, and a wooden whisk rotated in alternate directions to raise froth while keeping the grainy texture. Ice, malai, a kulhad — and Ayurveda's blessing.
From there the feature travels the length and breadth of the country, drink by drink, through sweet, salty, spiced and flower-infused variations.
Published in Liquid Magazine, Volume 1 Issue 4, Q4 2022.
