Pastoral Punjab (In Pics)

I have spent the past couple of weeks re-acquainting with the celebrated warmth, hospitality and bonhomie of village folk in Punjab. Expressed through a cup of (what they call) tea: half milk, half sugar, the tiniest possible pinch of tea leaves. Or a glass of milk with as generous a sugar helping. Desperate requests for un-sweetened tea were graciously met, but with only a slight reduction in the sugar content. Once, with the addition of salt, even.

 

The hot beverage was always accompanied by the freshest, most delicious home-made barfee;  khoya (thickened milk), besan (gramflour) and alsi (linseed) being the flavours of choice, generously speckled with dried fruits (or not, depending on the fiscal health of the host).While meals usually comprised salted rice with vegetables and curds or saag and makki di rotis hot off the chullah. Walking off some of my blatant displays of gluttony also provided me ample photo-ops, some of which I am sharing here. Hope you enjoy the walk, too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 comments

  • Ow. I remember that tea. I used to just decline. It was this tea that made me ask for a sugarless cup in the canteens of Patiala Univ. ‘Cheeni ghat’ was a phrase that was just not understood. But those yummy chulha cooked rotis and daal. I could die for them. Yeah, the homemade barfi.. slurrrp.

    • So, you understand! I tried ‘phikki’, in my mind the opposite of ‘mitthi’ but for them it just meant less sweet. I was pulling my hair out by the end of it 🙂

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