Queen of Jackfruit Recipes: Geethakka
This housewife can make 300 jackfruit products!
How many recipes can anyone make from world's biggest fruit
-- the jackfruit?
We don't know. But what we can vouch is that Geetha
Narasimha Bhat (46) of Sagar, Karnataka --
Geethakka for her closer circle - can make well
over -- hold your breath -- three hundred!
Born in a GSB (Gowda Saraswath Brahmin) family of Hebri near
Udupi, she grew up eating jackfruit in different ways. Her
mother Sushilabai knew a lot of recipes. GSBs, as a
community, are very fond of jackfruits.
After her marriage to a farming family of Sagar 22 years ago,
Geetha continued this tradition. Though she made many
traditional recipes and many more of her creations, she never
counted the number of recipes she knew until an interesting
incident.
It was about eight years ago. Activists of Krushi Prayoga
Parivara, a local NGO had visited her. Amidst talks, those
youngsters threw a friendly challenge to Geetha. They wanted
to see how many recipes she could do for that day's lunch.
It was ten in the morning. The plantain leaf on which lunch
was served three hours later was full with jack preparations.
One youngster exclaimed: Geethakka, there are 37 items!
A team from ETV -- Kannada visited her and shot her
preparing jackfruit recipes for three days
continuously. It was the second time when she was
made to count her recipes -- the number touched
130! The programme that was telecast for two weeks
had demonstrated 45 to 50 recipes.
Leading Kannada weekly, Tharanga asked her to write all
these. She submitted 220 items -- out of which the magazine
chose to publish 110.
Thereafter she started writing all her recipes. She has
already written 250. If you ask Geethakka which one of her
recipes are her favorites, she can't pinpoint any. Each one
has a different taste, replies she, It is only jackfruit
that permits you to cook in amazingly diverse ways.
In the jackfruit season that lasts for four months -- March
to June -- very few days pass without the jackfruit cooking.
If I cut a jackfruit, I make something out of it for
breakfast, 2-3 curries to go with lunch and one more snack
for the evening coffee, she points out. Though she doesn't
count, each year she must be making at least hundred
different items from jackfruit for her family to eat!
Unfortunately, though they are farmers, Geethakka
doesn't have a yielding jackfruit tree till now.
Every year she plants a few, but monkeys and wild
boars destroy it. Now, two plants have grown into
trees, but they are yet to yield.
During the season, her brother brings a few jackfruits from
Hebri. Neighbors present her with another few. Still, if I
had my own fruits, I would have utilized it more, she says
with some regret.
Her daughter Shobha, now studying in the first year B.Com
also knows almost all these recipes. Shobha does some more
experimentation of hers. All three children -- sons Vinayaka
Bhat and Yogesh Bhat and Shobha -- are fond of jackfruit.
Whenever mother plans to cook something, they too join hands
by helping.
Geethakka has given demonstration of her cooking in a few
Jack Festivals in Sirsi, Thirthahalli etc. There are more
invitations. But due to her family commitments, she is not
able to travel far. Mamatha Bhat, a Sirsi housewife has
learnt to make hundreds of jackfruit products from this
recipe queen.
It would have been a great contribution to the society if
Geethakka's Jackfruit recipes are published in all south
Indian languages and in English. Unfortunately this idea has
not stuck to any publisher or organizations so far!
Contributed by: Espi - yes...@gmail.com
SOURCE
http://panasamwonders.blogspot.com/2011/02/queen-of-jackfruit-recipes-geethakka.html
Geetha N Bhat: (08183) 231950 (9 to 10 pm only)
