In defence of the lowly idli
British criticism of the Indian diet focused chiefly on rice. Yet "(I)dlis shine like the cool rayed moon": the humble flying saucer, the staple South Indian food, inspired the Jain poet Terkanambi Bommarasa (circa 1435 A D), who described idlis as "globular nectar", "lunar rays solidified".
By 1143, the idli was popular in the Konkan, in Maharastra and Gujarat, journeying to Calcutta in 1783. Ponnani Rama Iyer of Malabar, who pioneered Madrasi eateries in South Calcutta, made it a part of public life. In 1926, A M Nair introduced it to the Japanese.
"A plate of idlis contains 130 calories," says Nair, "along with protein, calcium, iron, phosphorous, vitamin A, thiamime, nicotine acid, riboflavin and vitamin C. Idlis are perhaps the only snack which cannot be adulterated for there is no substitute for rice and black gram."