If you want to have a typical nonvegetarian Malayali
lunch or dinner in a serene village in Kerala, here is the Garden of Eden all
set for you at Ramapuram [literally ‘Abode of Rama’] in central Kerala. The
place has a temple each for Rama and his three brothers: Lakshmana, Bharata,
and Shatrughna. It is believed that Rama meditated in this place during his
exile and also that his brothers joined him for a while.
Right in the heart of the small town
is a Catholic church which is an imposing structure that makes an eloquent
assertion of religious identity.
Quite close to all these religious
places is the Garden of Eden, Eden Thoppu in Malayalam, a toddy
shop with a difference.
Toddy is palm wine, a mild alcoholic
drink collected from palm trees. In my childhood, toddy was really natural;
i.e., collected from palm trees including coconut trees which are ubiquitous in
Kerala. My next-door neighbours, two brothers who lived in the same house, were
toddy-tappers. Toddy was a healthy drink in those days provided one didn’t
overdo it. Now it is prepared chemically in shoddy labs and is not advisable.
People go to toddy shops now for the
delicious food they serve. Toddy shops in Kerala are famous for their spicy
foods. I visited Eden Thoppu on behalf of an alumni group that
was on the lookout for a convenient place for a ‘batch reunion’. This place is
a new venture, a modernised toddy shop with many small cabins called huts meant
for friends to sit and chat, and, of course, have delicious, spicy Malayali
food.
I was directed to meet Mr Biju, the
man who runs the enterprise, when I wanted to know certain details related to
our alumni meet. Give us the order one day ahead and we’ll prepare… He went on
to mention all possible nonveg dishes that are commonly available in Kerala’s
good toddy shops.
One of the huts is airconditioned and
another has an artificial drizzle system which will keep it naturally cool. The
place is quite an Eden, an idyllic place, though a bit constricted spatially.
The huts are all too close to each other. The parking space is limited too
though a few cars can be accommodated.
What about the food? There is a wide
variety of all Malayali nonveg dishes. But I didn’t wait to taste any because Maggie
had kept my lunch ready at home and I had to do justice to her. Moreover, I had
gone to make an enquiry. When I asked Biju for a menu card, he answered that it
was being printed. “This is a new venture,” he added with a charming smile. The
earlier run-of-the-mill toddy shop was upgraded as a “family restaurant” since
toddy-drinkers are becoming an extinct species in Kerala.
Location: Ramapuram is 37 km from Kottayam and
58 km from Kochi.
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| Biju outside one of the cabins |
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| Inside the cabin |
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| Ramapuram-Uzhavoor Road and a distant view of Eden |
PS. This post is part of #BlogchatterFoodFest
This is the second of a 5-part series. Post 1: Sethi da Dhaba
I appreciate the humility and the candour of Biju, the 'start up' toddy entrepreneur. And your sensitivity to Maggie, who would be waiting for you. And I remember relishing fresh toddy, straight from the palm tree, not from the coconut palm, but palmyra tree, at my mother's place, as part of the holiday package. At home, along the coastal Thrissur, toddy was taboo, except when it was brought for the preparation of Vattayappam, in the preparation of which my mother was an expert, nay, an artist. I remember being scolded for, more than that shamed for having drunk toddy, upon invitation by the husband of the household servant, when I had gone at night to invite them for my younger brother's wedding, as an elder in tNavorhaanakeralam.he family. The Dalit's offer of toddy and my acceptance of it, was a breach of all taboos... And this was in1980s, in the Navothaanakeralam.
ReplyDeleteTaking any food from a Dalit household was taboo for us too, let alone toddy. But once in a while we got a glass of it when there was a lot of work going on like ginger planting in which children were amply involved.
DeleteThis place does deserve good clients.
The times have changed. Now I see my nephews bringing their clasmates, on the eve of the Palliperunnal, for Uunu, to the family and all of them Dalits. And very close friends. My younger sister--in-law, a Maths teacher is very sharp. One she caught my Freudean slip and asked me"You write about the Dalits. But in real life, you act different."
DeleteOf course, now there's no such distinction. Gen Z is very broadminded in that regard.
DeleteThis is one restaurant (a toddy shop) I have yet to visit and is on my must visit list. Do review their food too!
ReplyDeleteI've taken much food from various toddy shops. They're all savoury but copiously spicy. Spices and condiments actually make nonveg foods delicious. This shop won't be much different.
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteNo one I would visit - although I apprecite the ambience suggested by the separate huts... it caused me to think of that popular British pastime... the Pub Lunch (eating a meal in a drinking house). YAM xx
Ivl know you won't like the place. They don't serve vegetarian dishes.
DeleteToday I learned about toddy shops. I hope your reunion went well.
ReplyDeleteThe reunion is postponed to 22nd. Another place, more lavish.
Delete