Savouring ‘alsi di pinni’ in US

A few years ago, during my visit to the US, my daughter took me to a store in San Antonio to buy some grocery. Suddenly, she stopped at one point and drew my attention to a packet of flax seed (“alsi”) and told me in an advisory tone, “Papa, take two packs; make it part of your daily diet. It is a great medicine for persons of your age who are likely to have heart problems. It is a great source of omega acids.” I obediently followed her instructions.

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This took me down memory lane. During my childhood, we had seen our grandmother making “alsi di pinni” during peak winter season. We were also fed a little of the same. I remember my grandfather would not eat anything till 12 noon after consuming “pinni” in the morning, as this nutritious desi winter delicacy was so filling. This was not only true of our household, but also every well-to-do family, especially of the Doaba region of Punjab, which would make these “pinnis” to be savoured in winters.

Gone are those days; only few are now keeping this healthy tradition of eating flax seeds this way. Probably we Indians are less sure of our own dietary values, but are eager to adopt the same after it gets the western tag. Just like it happened with neem and aloe vera. This is likely to happen with many more Indian recipes which have wonderful medicinal value when made a part of our diet. Now people are going crazy to try every product with aloe vera after its western sojourn and stamp of approval. The day may not be far when “tauri dal” (pulse cooked in earthen pot) will become a craze once it gets “westernised”.

This winter, my wife and I would start preparing the ingredients for “alsi pinni”, of course with a slightly modified recipe. Apart from flax seeds, she would add “moong dal”, “saunf” and maize flour instead of wheat, to make these acceptable to our son who is allergic to wheat. 

Her colleagues in the university would eagerly wait to taste this delicacy. Now a full circle has grown, within friends and colleagues who would prepare the “pinnis” every year. I wonder if the time has come when we have learnt to appreciate our own indigenous health recipes without waiting for their foreign avatar. India is diverse, not only geographically and culturally, but also in the evolution of dietary ingredients as per regional needs and varying seasons. Let us appreciate this diversity.