Bring On the Bitters, One Of The Six Essential Tastes

Like every year, my Telugu friends kept me well-stocked this Ugadi or Telugu New Year with its star offering, the Ugadi Pachadi, besides other goodies like Pulihora or tamarind rice, and Bobbatlu or Puran Poli, wholewheat sweet rotis, stuffed with a delectable mix of chana dal paste, jaggery and cardamom powder, for the uninitiated. 

But what got my focused love and attention, as always, was the Ugadi Pachadi, a divine concoction of all flavours, in fact all six flavours as advocated by Ayurveda, the sweet, salty, bitter, sour, astringent and spicy or pungent. There is the sweetness of jaggery, the saltiness of, well, salt, the bitterness of the neem leaves/flowers, sourness of tamarind, the astringent taste of raw mango and the spiciness of black pepper though most homes now use red chilli powder. 

Despite the golden colored liquid having diverse sweet-hot-sour-spicy flavours, it is the bitter taste which, frankly, makes it so unique, especially with its fresh neem leaves, flowers and buds. This year it was made all the more precious with news reports abounding about how rare neem leaves and flowers are getting to be, with neem trees under attack of the 'dieback' fungal disease for the second consecutive year. 

In fact, the recipe’s chief ingredient, the white and dainty neem flowers and blossoms make for a pretty sight as garnish on the pachadi, never mind their bitter taste once they are on your palate. Whoever thought that edible flowers garnish on foods is a Western thing, think again. 

I read in recent news reports that neem, an evergreen tree species, used to be found in abundance in Hyderabad until a few years ago. In fact, there is an area known as Nimboli Adda (neem joint, literally) near kachiguda considered to one of the oldest localities of Hyderabad, which now has barely a few young neem trees now, flower-bearing neem trees being almost non-existent. 

Bitters are, if not a staple, an accepted ally in Indian kitchens, and Ayurveda has a big role to play.  Bitter foods are known to aid digestion and better nutrient consumption. Packed with antioxidants, bitters are known to be immunity-boosting and are also known to aid the liver in detox and aiding metabolism. 

And when it comes to bitter greens in the Indian kitchen, be it methi, mustard leaves (sarson saag) or amaranth (commonly known as chaulai saag in the north), they are particularly dense in nutrients, such as  vitamins A, C, and K, as well as potassium, calcium, iron and magnesium. They are also high in antioxidants, which help protect your cells from damage, thus lowering the risk of cognitive decline, signs of ageing and some chronic diseases. They are a great source of fibre, too, which helps maintain a healthy digestive system.

Be it the most popular of them, bittergourd or karela and fenugreek or methi as they are known in most parts of India, bitter tasting dishes are considered important enough to be cooked on a couple of days at least in Indian kitchens. And while they might not be loved by one and all, nobidy can deny that they have a distinct flavor profile. 

Consider this, for example, biting into a hot methi thepla, what is the one taste you would register on your palate? It would have to be the sharp taste of the fenugreek, right, complemented by the ghee and other seasonings in the thepla dough? 

Or for that matter what is the distinct flavor profile of a panch-phoron-ghee-milk redolent  shukto? It would have to be the pronounced and bitter taste of karela or ucche (Bengali word for it), camouflaged by the subtler taste of poppy seed paste, milk, and the other vegetables like brinjal, raw banana, eggplant, drumstick etc. 

Neem, while not being hugely popular as an Indian culinary ingredient, (except in West Bengal, Assam and Odisha), has been endorsed in India for its antiseptic properties. It is proven to be anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-bacterial  and fresh neem leaves are ingested to combat a battery of infections, including skin infections, worms and parasites in the digestive tract.  

Neem Begun is eaten as a starter on Bengali thalis and I remember having it in our Odia household too in my childhood, when my grandmother would pluck fresh green leaves . While my siblings would pucker their faces and go yuck, I would happily eat them to earn brownie points from my mother and grandmother. It was almost like my self-imposed challenge to be able to eat as many vegetables and fruits as I could, and I can happily vouch for the fact that it is one of the few good lifestyle habits I hae managed to retain until date. 

 Ayurvedic medicine also advocates PanchaTikhta Ghrita, ghee made bitter with the infusion of certain herbs and leaves like neem, harada, amla, giloy  for the treatment of psoriasis, brittle bones and bone degeneration.  This ghee, according to Ayurvedic practitioners is loaded with Shotha-hara or anti inflammatory properties, therefore it is often used in Ayurvedic cleanses and detox processes such as Panchkarma, usually for skin diseases. Bitter ghee also reduces heat in the system strengthens and cleanses the liver, so it’s effective for treating liver disorders too. 

When it comes to Western cuisine, bitters are not so much included in cooking methods, but are eaten raw in salads, like kale, arugula, rocket lettuce, collards, turnip and mustard greens, and watercress, which has been deemed as the world’s most nutrient-rich vegetable. Bitters are also used in Western cuisine as lightly steamed vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, or as fruits like grapefruit. 

But nowhere like in India, are bitters known to have been a part and parcel of culinary repertoire. But like they say, love your greens or hate them, but you can’t ignore them !