We have been hearing about the many innovations in houseboat tourism. The kettuvallams of Kuttanad nowadays provide air-conditioned comfort and ayurvedic massages and are equipped with swimming pools.
The latest trend is to combine backwater tourism with cooking, considered by many as a wonderful way to relax during a holiday.
On Wednesday, a group of 100 came from Paris, considered by most as the ultimate romantic destination on Earth, to Alappuzha. As soon as they arrived, they headed to the 50 houseboats that waited to receive them in four buses. They then formed teams and started cooking.
Said Andree, who is from Strasbourg, even as she tried to make sense of the recipes for avial, mezhukkupuratti and sambar: “It is the finest moment of my life as I touch the surface of backwaters. It is indeed water queen.”
Though conceived as a cooking contest, it became more like a free-for-all fun game. “It is a time pass match,” joked Eliane. “I have seen cookery shows on television channels but this is the first time that I experience something like this,” she said, tasting a dish that she had just made.
On the other hand, Marie Francoise from Toulon, one of the biggest cities in France, was on familiar ground. “Toulon is well known for its cookery shows in France. I have attended several cookery shows during my childhood. However, making Kuttanaadan dishes is very difficult because the ingredients are so different from what we use.”
“We thought of a cookery competition as the team consisted mostly of women,” said Joji Mathews, one of the partners of Rainbow Cruises.
Preparations started four months ago. “We translated some naadan recipes like banana kaalan, mezhukkupuratti and chemeen curry into French and sent these to them in advance so that they could try them out before coming.
” The ingredients were neatly packed and placed along with clay pots which were used for the cooking. “This was an initiative to familiarise them with Kerala cuisine,” added Joji.
Andree, one of the most enthusiastic participants, was a little disappointed as some of her colleagues refused to taste her avial, which was a touch too spicy.
“I had read the recipes, which had been given to us earlier, to make a tasty Kuttanadan dish. But as the show started, I forgot most of the guidelines.” Bartrand, the moderator of the cookery show, said that the cooking experiment was no doubt one of the highlights of their week-long Indian tour. “Some of us were not that keen in the beginning but it turned out to be memorable,” he said.
