Everything about Malabar is soaked in romance, warmth, and mohabbat! All things positive are touched by a lot of love and that's exactly why Malabari food is the tastiest ever. It's made with love, for love. There's nothing ethereal about Malabari sentiments. They are real and mundane, tangible and felt, just like the food they serve – high on flavour.
When it comes to naming dishes, there's nobody to rival the Malabari. They are as musical and rhythmic as the Mappila songs. And they tell tales of love and loss. Love is a defining sentiment for the Malabari. The love extended to the 'puyappila' or the new bridegroom is the most celebrated feature of Malabar. It's a whole family that the groom embraces and the elder women of the house take sly joy in treating the new VIP to their culinary expertise. How best to win his love for their darling daughter? Through food, undoubtedly. So the women get into their act. They whip up the best dishes for the groom. They dig into all the recipes their mothers tried out to win over their sons-in-law. And this tradition is the 'puyappila thakkaram,' or the hospitality extended to the groom.
Flee not if the new bride strides in with 'chedichatti' (flower pot) and 'poopathram' (flower dish) for her groom. They are but gestures of love, the finest food specialities, to be precise.
Chedichatti and poopathram are close cousins to our common poori. The chappathi dough is what makes the chedichatti and poopathram. The dough is pressed into the sides of a glass. The inside is hollow and the top is open. The dough is shaped in pleats and fried. It’s then filled with moderately to very spicy meat masala. The top can be dressed with finely ground coconut chammanthi. This is the chedichatti, and looks exactly like a flower pot.
You can turn this pot into a garden by sticking in curry or coriander leaves, or perhaps even carrot or tomato slices too. It's left to one's imagination.
The poori made after the shape of a plate is what goes as poopathram. This can be dressed with finely chopped fruits or vegetables, to be topped with different sauces.
