Legacy Of Kerala

This work attempts to give a broad idea of the diverse aspects of the socio- cultural life of the people of Kerala in a historical perspective. Old traditions and new values in every sphere of human thought and activity have synthesized, assimilated and fused to form the history of Kerala.

This volume deals with the history of Kerala with special attention to selected historical personages who had played significant roles in shaping the history of Kerala through the ages.

"Other books have ably explored India's far southern territory, but Ms. Ramachandran reveals amazing range and depth in Kerala's Hindu vegetarian traditions."-The New York Times review "Ammini Ramachandran, a Texas based food writer with roots in the Indian state of Kerala, has self published an authoritative cookbook cum memoir, Grains, Greens, and Grated Coconuts, on that region's elaborate, nuanced cuisine."-Saveur February, 2008 "Recipes that make me want to rush to the kitchen, intriguing techniques that could be used with other cuisines, fascinating personal stories about growing up in a big Kerala household, all embedded in a deep understanding of Kerala as a pivot of Asian history. It's a wonderful tribute to Kerala and a stunning gift for the rest of us."-Rachel Laudan, author of The Food of Paradise: Exploring Hawaii's Culinary Heritage "Grains, Greens, and Grated Coconuts is a jewel of a cookbook-from its authentic recipes (many published here for the first time) to Ammini Ramachandran's evocative personal anecdotes of Kerala's culinary traditions. It is at once scholarly, yet accessible, and especially charming for its delicious recipes and intriguing stories from the royal kitchens of Kochi."-Grace Young, author of The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen

The book, The Legacy of Southist Syrian Christians: Contributions of Knanaya Community to Kerala in a Historical Perspective, was written to educate the youth and the readers about the Knanaya Catholic community and what great contributions this minority community has made for the socioeconomic advancement of Kerala, a southern state in the Indian subcontinent. The book gives a short historical description of how the community migrated from the Middle East to Kerala in the fourth century and how the community thrived for seventeen centuries in India. The Southist Syrian Christians survived many attacks on their mere existence itself, yet the community successfully kept their identity and is still flourishing all over the world now.

Eating With History: Ancient Trade-Influenced Cuisines of Kerala is an invaluable compendium of a culinary tradition and variety of food recipes that evolved out of Kerala’s kitchens. The food trail is extensive and as varied as it can get. The proximity to the sea and the natural beauty and resources of the state–especially the fragrant spices which grew in abundance–attracted inhabitants of foreign soils and inspired them to initiate overseas trade along what was later known as the Spice Route. In a state with fish, other sea food and vegetables dominating people’s food habits, the various kinds of meats, foreign cooking techniques and exotic flavours were curried to life from foreign trade influences and became significant foods. There are numerous recipes in each foreign-influenced community in Kerala, well represented in this book, in meticulous detail. These recipes were cherished by the families and handed down generations via cross-cultural interactions within Jews of the Paradesi and Malabari sects, Syrian Christians, Muslims, Anglo-Indians, Latin Catholics and others who mingled with and evolved from the local populace. The book provides a well-researched and rich cultural history of foreign food culture, tracing how the new elements adapted to local food traditions and evolved as a parallel line of foods, creating new textures, flavours and tastes.

Festschrift honoring a historian from Kerala; contributed articles.