I am a little late on this one! Between all the stuff that we had happening for Chutney day and preparing for the upcoming festive season, its been a bit crazy. BUT we have all been so enthusiastic about celebrating the food observance days until now, i am hoping the subject of the next one will charm you into joining me in spite of the delay in announcing it.
Because the next day we are celebrating is one that is close to each of our hearts. #LadduDay!
‘Laddu Batna’ (distributing laddus) is a given at any happy occasion. But Laddus are not just a mithai. They are special. I like to think of them as the Indian equivalent of the cookies that moms and grandmoms make for their kids in the west. In fact, when you think about it, the very name, Laddu derives from the word ‘laad,’ meaning love. Made by grandmothers and mothers for those they care about, these traditional treats have been in existence from time immemorial. And always embodied caring. Which is why this time I have a different request. Lets make Laddu Day count event more.
At a round table on malnutrition organised by Idoboro that I was part of recently, I gained many insights on the serious issue of malnutrition and the inadequacy of the food packets that are distributed in areas affected by it. I came away trying to figure out what we could do to address this? And then it struck me. Laddus! What makes Laddus REALLY special is the deeper purpose behind them that we have forgotten or are not cognizant of. Laddus were not just treats, traditionally they had a larger purpose as well. They were little power packed parcels of nutrition, full of the goodness of healthy ingredients like jaggery, ghee, flours, nuts and dry fruit. From warming calcium rich til and energy dense atta laddus, to protein packed Maghaz or Besan Laddu and bone strengthening Dink or Gond Laddus given to lactating mothers, laddus have always fortified diets, imparted medicine and supplemented meals.
So this Laddu Day I have a request. Let us do all the things we did for past food observance days, make, learn and document traditional recipes. But let us make the purpose of this Laddu day bigger by doing one more thing. Many of you will give away food to the less fortunate around Diwali. Instead of outsourcing food parcels, could you consider giving away Laddus? Make them, outsource them to NGOs that make traditional foods and give them away. They are a cost effective, extremely simple and logical solution to addressing malnutrition. Which is also important in the context of World Food Day being observed globally on 16th October 2017. One of the themes this year is to invest in food security and solve the issue of world hunger. The classic, wholesome, long lasting (if made to) laddu addresses so many fundamental issues; hunger, particularly among malnourished children and women, sustainability by using local ingredients which will in turn support our farmers and aligns perfectly with the theme.
Distributing Laad ke Laddu.
This #LadduDay my team at APB Cook Studio and I have pledged to make and distribute packets of Laad ke Laddu in underprivileged areas of Mumbai. Towards this goal, I have brought together my students from the certified ‘Food and Nutrition’ course’ at Sophia Centre for Women’s Studies and Development where I lecture to create laddus that address the specific nutritional requirements in children. Using these and with the help of the food community, chef friends, food bloggers and Good Samaritans who will come together at the studio on the 13th and 14th, we aim to make 200 packets of laddus. The aim is to distribute these nutritionally fortified laddus in underprivileged areas of Mumbai on 15 Oct which is #LadduDay with the help of Robin Hood Army. We could do with all the help we can get, so if you would like to volunteer and join us, please call us on 022-42152799 or email us at info@apbcookstudio.com.
Also if you are not in Mumbai, or cannot get to the studio, do the same thing in your area or your city. Friends in food communities all over India are coming together to do this in other cities too. Why don't you?.
And since it is Diwali and we are all making sweets, lets also document recipes if we can. There are of course, thousands of laddu varieties in India but every home has a favourite, special laddu. With Diwali around the corner, celebrate the culinary diversity of India. You could also do any of the following to celebrate #LadduDay. I am listing all the other things you can do for #LadduDay below, but if you do nothing else, please do make and distribute as many or as little Laad ke Laddu on the 15th!
1. Document your family’s signature laddu by making it and sharing it.
2. Learn to make a new laddu from another community of India.
3. Organise a laddu exchange!
4. Can't make laddus? Do the next best thing; eat them. How hard is that?
5. Share pictures, videos or stories and memories of your favourite laddu on Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram or WhatsApp.
6. Chefs, restaurants and food outlets can run #LadduDay specials by serving or making unusual
laddus!
7. Eat, make, gift or write about laddus but whatever you do, remember to share the same using
the hashtag #LadduDay.
Read more about world food day https://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-bryant/world-food-day-and-the-ch_b_12493578.html
