Keralan food gets Lankan mouths watering
Shenoy Karun, TNN Sep 5, 2012, 04.40AM IST
KOCHI: The Lankan and Keralan topography and physiognomy have parallels, but their gastronomies too have an uncanny similarity which is proving beneficial to the ethnic food producers of Kerala. Traditional Kerala food items like puttu and idiyappam, exported to western Europe and Australia targeting the Keralites working there, are increasingly consumed by Sri Lankan expatriates in those markets.
"Thirty per cent of our products sold in the UK, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and France are consumed by Sri Lankans living there," revealed Sajive Manjila, managing director of Thrissur-based Manjilas Group of Companies. The company markets rice and rice flour for traditional Malayali food products like puttu and idiyappam (noolputtu) in markets like the US, western Europe, the Middle East and Australia under the brand 'Double Horse'.
"The reddish products - puttu, idiyappam, and rice made from the Chembavu variants - are found to be popular among the Sri Lankans," Manjila revealed. His company exports 30 containers of food products every month for the American and western European markets.
London-based Sony Robinson, who markets Palakkadan Matta rice under the brand name Jasu Rice in the UK also noticed this trend. "I import 48 tonnes of rice every three months to London and 70 - 75% is being consumed by the Sri Lankan expatriates here," he said. Michael Pullolil Kurien, who runs Keraleeyam, a store for ethnic Kerala foods in Oxford in the UK, says Sri Lankans regularly buy traditional Kerala food from his shop.
What attracts the Sri Lankan community towards the ethnic Kerala food is the similarities between the cuisines of both the lands. "Roughly 35% of the food items in Lanka are similar to that of Kerala," observed Surendra Madhavan, executive director of Kochi-based Vijaya Corporate, who had spent a decade in Sri Lankan capital Colombo till 2002.
Kindred culinary interests of the Lankans and Keralites, initially a serendipity for local businessmen in the state, are transforming into good business opportunities for them. At times, this business-cultural relationship turns quid pro quo - during Onam, the Keralites in London and nearby towns serve traditional Onasadya on plantain leaves from Sri Lanka.
Like Keralites, Lankans migrate in large numbers to developed nations across the world. According to the website of British High Commission, Colombo, the number of Sri Lankans living in Britain is 5 lakh, and the number of Lankans applying for British visa is upwards of 30,000 per annum.
Similarly, the Australian High Commission estimates that one lakh Lankans live in Australia. BASUG Diaspora and Development, a Netherlands-based organisation, puts the figure of Lankans in France as 1.5 lakh.
- For me, going back to India for a visit after 3 years, everything tasted very good. And it was surprising for me to see many North East Indians working there and couple of them even spoke Tamil. So it is a good thing cultural blend is happening in Chennai.
