Savouring the six tastes of Ugadi

Ugadi pachadi has special significance and symbolism as its sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and spicy notes reflect the six aspects or emotions of life

Ugadi, the traditional New Year’s Day according to the Hindu calendar, is celebrated widely across India and even in some countries overseas.

Sindhis celebrate the day as Cheti Chand, regarded as the emergence day of Lord Jhulelal. In Manipur, it is called Sajibu Nongma Panba. Balinese Hindus in Indonesia call it Nyepi. Interestingly, Ugadi is one of the five Hindu national public holidays in Mauritius! Across the southern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and even Goa and Maharashtra, Ugadi is a grand festival. It falls on the first day of the bright half of Chaitra masa (month), which marks the end of winter. After the cold season, it heralds the beginning of new life with plants sprouting new shoots, tender leaves and an abundance of flowers.

The term Ugadi or Yugadi is derived from the Sanskrit yuga (age) and di (beginning), or ‘the beginning of a new age’. The vibrancy of life and profusion of colourful blossoms signifies growth, prosperity and well-being. Ugadi is considered one of the four most auspicious days in the year to begin new ventures. Lord Brahma is believed to have created the world on this day, hence he is worshipped at this time.

In Ritusamhara (Pageant of the Seasons), Sanskrit poet Kalidasa dedicates six cantos to the six seasons and their effects on lovers — greeshma (summer), varsha (monsoon), sharad (autumn), hemanta (cool), shishir (winter) and vasanta (spring). Everything seems more enticing in spring. The earth appears in delight — the breeze is laden with fragrances, days are pleasant and the evenings are charming.

Vasanta, the season, is personified as an assailant who afflicts every heart by shooting unfolded tender leaflets of mango trees like sharp arrows using shining strings of honeybees as his bowstring. It’s a time of longing for lovers as men must leave their lady loves and head to work in the fields.

With Ugadi falling on March 22 this year, spring cleaning takes on a whole new meaning. Preparations for the New Year commence well in advance with cleaning and washing of homes and buying and gifting new clothes.

On the festival day, people get oil massages followed by special baths. They adorn their houses with mango and neem leaf decorations on doors called torana and draw rangolis or colourful patterns on the floor. Prayers are offered for a prosperous new year and charity is donated to the poor. People visit temples and listen to Panchanga sravanam as priests make predictions for the coming year. One of the most prominent Ugadi rituals is to consume bevu-bella (neem-jaggery) paste, symbolic of one’s acceptance of the bittersweet aspects of life with equal grace.

Across India, no celebration or festival is complete without its signature dishes. Ugadi is no different. Perhaps the most important festive dish during Ugadi is the pachadi, a chutney that combines various ingredients to give all six primary flavours of food — sweet, sour, salty, spicy, bitter and astringent.

While tamarind lends sourness, the neem flowers impart bitterness, bella or jaggery imbues sweetness, uppu or salt adds saltiness and the spiciness comes from green chillies with raw mango contributing the astringent component. The mix of all flavours is also a reminder that one must expect all kinds of experiences in the coming New Year and take it in one’s stride.

Another widely consumed item during Ugadi across the southern states is a sweet flatbread with a chana dal (Bengal gram) jaggery filling, known as holige or obattu in Karnataka, bobbatlu (Bhakshalu/polelu/oligale) in Andhra and puran poli in Maharashtra. The season’s fresh raw mangoes are made into pickles, mavinkayi chitranna (mango rice) or mango pachadi, besides puliogare (pulihora in Andhra) which is sour tamarind rice.

People also make sweet pongal, kothmir vada and hesaru bele payasa (green gram kheer).

Each community has its own typical set of Ugadi dishes. GSBs or Gaud Saraswat Brahmins call the festival Samsaar Paadvo in Konkani and a classic meal features white rice, dali toy (or tove), chane gashi (chickpea curry), tendle-bibbe upkari (ivy gourd with raw cashew fry), kadge chakko (raw jackfruit curry) and a variety of podis (powders).

Speciality restaurants in Bengaluru present the customary bevu-bella along with time-honoured delicacies like kaal menasu alu gadde (pepper potato), bendekkai marige huli (tender okra sour), sihi kumbalakai saaru (sweet pumpkin curry) and kadale gojju besides festival favourites like bale hannu dosa (banana dosa), kosambari (lentil salad), soppu kootu (greens), obattu and elaneer payasa (tender coconut kheer).

Another Karnataka-themed restaurant plans to offer the traditional Ugadi spread — right from uppu (salt), lime, bevu-bella, mavinkayi uppinkayi (mango pickle) and shunti bella (ginger jaggery) chutney to a dry fruit bella panaka (jaggery drink) to accompany the starters of kadlekai kosambri (boiled groundnut salad), alsande kalu vade (black-eyed peas fritters), balekai bajji (raw banana fritters) and hapla (assorted papad). The mains come in a thali — masala jolada roti, gorikayi palya (cluster beans), hirekayi palya (ridge gourd), mavinkayi chitranna (raw mango rice), steamed rice with thuppa (ghee), hesaru bele tove (GSB style dal), Udupi badnekayi sambar made with mattu gulla brinjals and drumstick rounded off with a tangy obattu saaru with obattu and sorekayi payasa (bottle gourd kheer) for dessert.

In Maharashtra, the springtime festival is called Gudi Padwa and is marked by street processions, colourful floral rangolis and a special gudhi dhvaja — a flag or banner garlanded with flowers, mango and neem leaves, sugar crystal garland called gathi, topped with an upturned kalash (silver or copper pot) raised on a flagpole in celebration.

Maharashtrians usually prepare a host of festive foods including puran poli and shrikhand, a fragrant yoghurt dessert prepared and generally scooped up with puris.

So whether it’s a celebration at home with everyone helping in the kitchen or a family outing at a restaurant, Ugadi promises to be a flavourful affair.

(The authors are travel/food writers and culinary consultants “loosely based” in Bengaluru. They run a travel/media outfit customising solutions for the hospitality industry, have authored guides and coffee table books, set up an award-winning restaurant and feature as ‘Dude aur Deewani’ in a food-based digital infotainment show. Follow their adventures on Instagram: @red_scarab or their Facebook page Red Scarab.)