8 May 2012

Summer Glory....

Summer.... it is the season of that I enjoy the most...:)

I am telling the truth... I do enjoy summer immensely, of course some days I feel totally worn out because of the heat but other wise it is enjoyable. It is nature's way of disinfecting and rejuvenating the soil and the warmth attracts dark clouds full of rain.

Summer is the season of garden parties, beach side strolls, barbeques and a general holiday feel but also because of the special bounty of nature which woos us with natural drinks, fruits and vegetables guaranteed to save us from the sweltering heat.

I am sure most of you are familiar with summer specials. These are some of the common road side sights all over Tamil Nadu during the summer months.

First on the list is the "Tender Coconut".... promising clean sweet fresh liquid "Ilaneer" which quenches the thirst and it is very cheap. "Ila" means tender or young and "Neer" means water. The flesh of the coconut at this stage is very soft and almost jelly like which can be consumed along with the water.

Usually the coconut vendor scraps the flesh out using a piece of the outer shell after we finish drinking the water. As we all know it is rich in nutrients, minerals and does wonders for our skin tone when consumed on regular basis.


The fruits are borne in the coconut tree which I am sure everyone has seen. The trees are abundant in tropical and subtropical regions. They require abundant sunlight, rainfall and high humidity for its growth. The oldest fossils date back to 55 million years ago and were found in India and Australia. 


I have a a regular stall from where I get tender coconuts nearly everyday during my stay in Coimbatore. The stall owner, Mrs. Lakshmi has become my friend because of my frequent visits to her mobile vehicle. She is usually seen opposite Alvernia School in Trichy road with her "Thallu Vandi / Push Cart". When the summer is over she sells plants.... A self-made business woman.


The technique of chopping open the top part of the tender coconut is an art... yes, it is an art. One miss and then before you know it, your finger is chopped off. Usually an "Veecharival [a special type of knife]" is used for this purpose. It is basically a sword with a reverse curve. The longer versions known as "Thirupatchi Arival" are nearly 5 feet long and is a symbol of Karuppana Swami.

I was fortunate enough to capture the chopping moments in action ..... This young lady has a shop in Kallaar and she kindly agreed to pose for the camera.


The next in the list is "Ice Apples" or "Nungu". The tree is named Palmyra palm/ toddy palm which bears these jelly fruits encased in hard shells and usually comes in clusters. There is a sweet liquid in the centre of the jelly fruit which has a lovely flavour.


During the summer months, the palm shoot is cut and the juice is collected in a earthen pot. This juice is light with a sweet sugary taste and goes by the name "Pathaneer".  

"Patha" means sterilised or pasteurised and "Neer" means water. This is usually consumed in the morning as is a wonderful coolant and abundant in minerals and vitamins.


The juice which is collected in the evenings are usually fermented and serves as raw alcoholic drink. In Kongunad cuisine various sweet dishes are prepared with pathaneer like pathaneer payasam and pathaneer halwa.


Usually ice apples or nungu along with pathaneer are brought to Coimbatore from Pollachi and Gobi freshly everyday. As you can see from the picture below, the vendor has his stall on a two wheeler. He usually has his spot near the main road next to my home and sales are very brisk during the morning hours.


The pathaneer is always sweet and the fruits are so tender and fresh. If you happen to spot a iceapple stall, do have a taste of this drink... I bet you will love it. The fresh iceapple skins are pale yellow in colour and can be consumed along with the fruit.  

The next one is my all time favourite, sugarcane juice.....


 You must have seen the crushing machines and bundles of sugar cane and must have tasted this awesome sugary drink.

Today there are commercial sugarcane juice stalls which promises clean and pure cane juice. Not only that, various additions are added to the sugarcane juice like mint, lime, salt & pepper and chaat masala to give a new dimension to the juice.


Pics depicted here are to show the process of extracting the juice found in the road side stalls everywhere around the state. This is the ever so busy stall in front of ICICI Bank in Trichy Road.


It is incredibly sweet but also rich in calcium and magnesium. As we all know commercial caster sugar is extracted from this juice but unfortunately all the nutrients are lost in the process.

Please make sure that hygienic standards are good where ever you eat or what ever you eat other than home-made items. All these pics were taken in 2010/2011 but because of my laziness they have come to light only now...

There are of course an overflow of mangoes, melons, gooseberries and cucumbers...

Eat well and be healthy.... Enjoy this summer with lots of healthy natural drinks and fruits..:))

Enjoy....


Scribbled by Reva

33 comments:

Nandita SS said...

Lovely post!!! I am craving for sugar cane juice now :)

Asiya Omar said...

Wonderful post.oor ninaivu varuthu.

FewMinute Wonders said...

Awesome post. Since I am from Coimbatore, I feel very nostalgic. I love Nungu. Used to have them often when my uncle used to bring them for us. Awesome! I am so happy looking at this post today. Munvasani Orey feeling.

Unknown said...

wonderful visuals of delicious drinks :) thanks for sharing!

Saraswathi Ganeshan said...

lovely post dear..most wanted treat for every summer..

Reshmi Mahesh said...

Lovely post...Love everything here..

Priya dharshini said...

Wonderful post on summer glory..u know ,i miss my hometown a lot now..Specially for the pathaneer...slurp.

Jayanthy Kumaran said...

wow...this is absolutely a lovely post..
well written with beauuuuuuuutiful cliks reva..;)

Tasty Appetite

Unknown said...

wow Reva...lovely post...u really brought out the enthu of having a very good summer...but all these we miss being outside India....:(

Unknown said...

Nice post
Lovely and delicious

http://followfoodie.blogspot.com/

Sangeetha Nambi said...

I should say this is a "Traditional Post" Reva ! Entha ooru ithu ??!! Sankakiri'ya ?? :)

simran said...

lovely post!.......the rest of the stuff..i know and enjoy..but ice apples..i have never seen!they look so nice.

Priya Suresh said...

Missing all these stuffs,cant take my eyes from that sugar cane juice,my fav.Can drink litres of this juice.

notyet100 said...

Sugar cane juice brought back memories,..:)

Kajal said...

Wow! you actually made me feel a little good about summer Reva! :) Lovely post! and very different!

Unknown said...

What a wonderful post! You sure did catch the essence of summer there :D.
Thanx for visiting my space, glad to follow you back :D

Roshni said...

Beautiful write up.. you brought back good memories. now i am craving for all these

hotpotcooking said...

wow!!! what a way to chill up, i love nungu so much

Satya said...

beautiful post..
Super Yummy Recipes

Vardhini said...

Nice one Reva. Gorgeous clicks.

Vardhini
Event: Side Dishes
Event: Spinach

Sayantani Mahapatra Mudi said...

I love all these...so so so freshening.

radha said...

It's amazing how nature provides the best fruit to tackle the season... and people reach for a bottle of coke. What a shame!

Only Fish Recipes said...

nice post n beautiful clicks !!!

Chitty Boy and Me said...

very informatic.....i'm following u!!!!
satya
http://chitty-boy.blogspot.com

Pushpa said...

Love them all,been so long since I had nunguu.They look sooooo gooood.Nice captures.

Saranya said...

Thanks for stopping by :)First time here .. following you ..Great effort..
Saranya
http://nicesaranya.blogspot.com/
http://foodandtaste.blogspot.com/

Faseela said...

lovely post

nisha said...

Very nice post

Shanthi Krishnakumar said...

Lovely and wonderful post reva

Swathi said...

Nice post, Nungu, illaneer, brings lot of memories.

Akila said...

wow... beautifully clicked the the summer coolers.... hats off dear...

Event: Dish Name Starts With L
Learning-to-cook
Regards,
Akila

Ambreen (Simply Sweet n Savory) said...

Great post Reva, lovely clicks! Sugarcane juice is my absolute favorite. Thanks for visiting & for your sweet comment :)

Unknown said...

Totally in love with his post

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