Traditional South Indian and Indian home remedies — food-as-medicine wisdom passed down through generations.
"Grandma Says" is our space on sapaadu.com, dedicated to all the wise kitchen wisdom received from our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and all those who came before us.
There is indeed no limit to the wisdom of our elders, without whom we have no identity, culture, or customs. It is believed that our ancestors in India led lives with deeper meaning and purpose. They tailored their day-to-day habits, and positioned every meal, food item, or ingredient, with the greater goal of leading a healthy life. Many such said and unsaid customs continue to protect our health today. Those before us possessed deep knowledge and a remarkable understanding of the medicinal abilities that certain foods hold. Even though most of this is beyond our knowledge or research abilities to understand or prove, we see in everyday life that "food as medicine" has helped ease some common ailments. To believe them or not is up to the individual.
In honor of our ancestors and their knowledge, we are dedicating this segment, "Grandma Says," to all those beliefs our elders carried. We are going to list some of these abilities of Indian foods and ingredients here. This knowledge is mostly common wisdom carried on through generations, and we are simply trying to do our part to preserve and share it with everyone interested.
Please read our Disclosure & Disclaimer before proceeding. Hope you read that. Good! Now that we've got that out of the way, we're excited to fill this space with some interesting info. Keep an eye here, or sign up for our email newsletter to stay in the loop.
A superfood in its own right — the warming root that brings both heat and depth to a dish, and is treasured in tradition well beyond the kitchen.
The bright, sour everyday citrus — traditionally prized as one of the kitchen's most versatile bits of goodness.
The one seasoning no kitchen runs without — and, in tradition, far more than a flavor.
The little garnish leaf most people push aside — traditionally believed to hold a wealth of goodness.
The pungent clove behind so much Indian cooking — long treasured in tradition for far more than its flavor.