Monday, November 7, 2016

Besan Gujarati

Besan Gujarati

Beso in Gujarati and Basa in Marathi is an invitation to a guest or a friend to sit down. The word basti/vasti has derived from the human settlements. Once an offer of beso, means it is an invitation of a cup of tea with a snack. Snacks made from Besan (gram flour). Gujarati people are very fond of snacks. It is called 'na-sto'; say no but have it. All breaks are their munch time. There are many varieties of Gujarati snacks/nasto : Ganthia, sev, fafda, fafdi, khaman, dhokda, khandvi, handvo, bhajia, jalebi, chavanu, sev-mamara, fulvadi, samosa, etc. And each of these items has many sub varieties, carrying different tastes.

Gandhia in Saurashtra and Bhajia in Gujarat are the most popular dishes. Gujarati meal has more carbohydrate and fat but less protein. Therefore, their snacks are mostly made from gram flour that meet with the deficiencies of protein diet. But there is one more reason, interesting too. Gujarati life style is smart, less physical activity and more of resting. Their long time sitting habits make their bowels movement slow. Besan items provide the push that solve their problem of constipation! If you want to tease a Saurastrian, give him a food without besan and butter milk. His day will pass in uneasiness, fighting with amebiasis and constipation.

Fried items are considered health hazard but Gujarati can't avoid their tasty fried items. Many old men in Saurashtra have proved that eating Ganthia Jalebi everyday don't break the lifeline. 

Meetings are interactive but meeting without eating doesn't deliver fruitful result. It is a Gujarati way of making business and building relation through besan. To keep the tongue sweet, we add jaggery/sugar in our hot vegetables, but keep the snacks away from the heavy load. However, if no sweetness is added in the food item, it can't be called a Gujarati dish. 

Don't say no to a Gujarati when he says 'beso'. You will enjoy the Gujarati taste of Besan at the home of every Gujarati. And there are hundreds of street venders to serve the need of the shop keepers and office bearers.

Population of Gujarat is 62 million, but more than 10 million Gujaratis are living in many countries of the world. Wherever they live, they make it Gujarat, their mark of sweetness. "Besan Gujarati, ghana Pardeshi". Lol

Punamchand
7 November 2016

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