Goans, Mangaloreans call it Patoleo, East Indians call it Panmori: Why the Catholic community eats this sweet delicacy on August 15

Gavin Drsquosouza has been eating patoleos ever since he was a child In fact the Vasaikar knew Independence Day was around when his mother began her preparations to make patoleos It is a familiar experience for most Catholics as the sweet smell of jaggery and coconut wafts through the entire home the day before followed by the whistle of the pressure cooker Yet the temptation to sneak into the kitchen for a spoonful of the mixture before the magic happens is hard to resistldquoI remember rushing home from the flaghoisting ceremony at school every August 15 only to devour a serving or two of freshly steamed patoleos with a generous topping of honey As it was also the feast day Mummy wouldnrsquot shout at merdquo he chucklesThe Mangaloreanrsquos love for the dish is so strong that despite the tedious preparation he tries to coax his mother into making the delicacy and is sure she will do it for him because there is no better feeling than enjoying the sweet juicy treat on the dayldquoAugust 15 is incomplete for me without patoleosrdquo he adds while also hoping to learn to make it himself in the near futureSEE PHOTOS Patoleo 5 fascinating facts about this seasonal delicacy Catholics make for August 15Celebrating Independence Day and a Catholic feastDrsquosouza 31 is among many Mumbaikars who celebrate Independence Day every August 15 However being a part of the Catholic community there is more to celebrate with the Feast of the Assumption of Mary which coincides with the national holiday In Christianity the day marks the belief that God took the body and soul of the Virgin Mary into heaven at the time of her death While most people attend church service many of them are excited for a specific treatWhile the Goans and Mangaloreans call it patoleos the East Indians call it panmoris ndash a deliciously sweet dish made of a mixture of jaggery and coconut wrapped in rice paste and steamed in turmeric leaves Interestingly the dish is a combination of seasonal and cultural traditions that gives many the opportunity to enjoy it on the day and the rest of August too owing to the availability of the leaves during the monsoon season While Goans make use of black jaggery that is popularly found in Goa Mangaloreans and East Indians make use of the jaggery found in the city Drsquosouza is married to an East Indian who loves cooking and even has her own YouTube channel that documents recipes which are not only her own experiments but also those of her mother and thatrsquos why they hope to document this dish tooldquoMy wife Neha Britto and I are very interested in learning how to make the dish simply so that we can carry the tradition forward Such dishes bring with them a sense of history and belonging They make you feel responsible for keeping that history alive and taking it forward and thatrsquos a great feelingrdquo says DrsquosouzaThe Mumbaikar adds ldquoWhen you come across more people who carry the same traditions forward itrsquos an instant icebreaker These dishes not only bring people in the same community closer but also bring other communities closer To share dishes that span across communities and cultures is truly one of the greatest blessings of diversity that we get to experience in IndiardquoEven as the dish is made across the western coast of India Drsquosouza says he and his wife in fact look forward to itldquoAs itrsquos made only once a year therersquos a sense of anticipation around it I feel the exclusivity makes it even tastierrdquo he addsContinuing tradition with patoleosThe delicacy is no different for Natasha Almeida who reminisces that some of her fondest memories are of everyone coming home and saying ldquoMumma has sent patole for you allrdquoShe explains ldquoIn the East Indian community they are commonly called Panmoris or Patole Just as Christmas sweets or Easter eggs are exchanged Patole are also shared between families neighbours and friends Itrsquos as much about the act of giving and sharing as it is about eating themrdquoJust like her childhood the Vasaikar says ldquoThe day practically begins with hogging on Patole then you head for morning Mass come back home and have more Patole followed by lunch and of course even more Patole It really is an entire day of eating and celebrating around themrdquoWhile many eat it only on August 15 for others such as Almeida the month is all about the dish She explains ldquoThe turmeric leaves start appearing in the markets in August and since they are available for most of the month Patole becomes a weekend ritual at home We enjoy making and eating them on Sundays for as long as the turmeric leaves are availablerdquoOver the years the Almeida family has made the effort to continue this tradition like so many other Catholics who have roots in Goa and Mangalore but have called the city their home for generations For East Indians who are among the original inhabitants of the city it is so much more especially because there are still so many people who arenrsquot aware of their existence beyond the borders of the city Being one of the many who is keeping the communityrsquos traditions alive through its masalas food and traditions through Igoreyaa an East Indian dining experience she highlights ldquoDishes like these are an important part of how food keeps our traditions alive They are tied to the seasons and to the calendar and making Patole for a particular occasion is also about coming together and sharing Families make them in large quantities send them across to relatives and neighbours and the dish becomes a way of celebrating the occasion collectivelyrdquoIt is also one of the reasons why Almeidarsquos mother always makes sure Patole is made at homeldquoItrsquos a dessert she absolutely loves wholeheartedly So itrsquos something that has always been made and enjoyed in our homerdquo Almeida adds continuing ldquoThe coconut and jaggery stuffing can be prepared in a large batch and kept ready Then as and when the turmeric leaves are available in the market you can quickly assemble the Patole steam them and theyrsquore good to gordquoWith just a day to go for the feast observed by followers of Christianity on August 15 the excitement is palpable for Almeida who says that there is so much more to these traditions when you think about it because it may be made on one day but the very tradition is what keeps the uniqueness of communities aliveldquoThese are traditions that are passed down through generations not only through food but through the memories created around it Every year when Patole is made and exchanged old memories come rushing back while new ones are created I look forward to knowing that Aunty Leera Almeidarsquos neighbour will send some over again this year or that my mom will make them at home I may not have made the Patole myself but the ritual of receiving sharing and enjoying them keeps those memories alive and gives us new ones every yearrdquo shares Almeida who gets ready for yet another year of gorging on the sweet treatsCelebrating the Goan wayFor Nikhil Rodrigues a Goan who has grown up with fond memories in South Mumbai the tradition goes a step furtherldquoMy mom always makes Allebelle pancakes and Vonn along with PatoleosrdquoWhile there are two other dishes fighting for his attention the 31yearold citybased musician has a specific memory associated with the dayldquoI remember during my school days my mom would always get up early in the morning and make them for breakfast and pack some for my friends at school toordquoHowever the celebrations have changed today because his mother Maria Estella Rodrigues has now moved to making Alle Belle for the occasion to continue the tradition in her own way because she has found it difficult to get the turmeric leaves over timeAsk him for the recipe and he is quick to laugh and say ldquoMy mom doesnrsquot share her recipes like that Itrsquos classified information a trade secret a family DNA and everythingrdquoHowever prod him a little further and his mother actually shares the recipe but not without sharing her version of the day even as youngsters wait for the foodldquoFirst we would listen to the mass in the morning and after coming home the whole family used to sit and start making Patoleos and send some to our neighbours and family membersrdquoEven as the newer generation likes the soft pancakes a staple in most Goan homes the matriarch is quick to add ldquoThe new generation likes pancakes but we will be making Patoleos this timerdquoA memory of homeElsewhere in Bengaluru Lynn Misquith a Mangalorean who is proud of her heritage particularly preserves the experience while she is away from home especially when she is unable to make it back home in time for the occasion and the season due to work commitmentsShe shares ldquoWhen the calendar hits August and September itrsquos a hint wersquod get the aroma during breakfast or teatime For us at home it was about access Whenever the leaves were available it was made at home The leaves used are turmeric or banana leaves Turmeric just hits rightrdquoGrowing up the 29yearold says it was like exchanging soan papdi during Diwali except it was PatoleosShe explains ldquoI remember at the start of the month it would always come from my grannyrsquos place Followed by my mum making it Being a Mangalorean I had the fortune of tasting Patoleos from different households ndash GSBs Gaud Saraswat Brahmins and Shettyrsquos Even relatives who travelled to visit us from the outskirts like Kinnigoli my grandmotherrsquos hometown in Karnataka would get us some Therersquos no rocket science with the recipe but every household has a secret or maybe itrsquos just how they were introduced to the dish adding a dash of extra love to it I have eaten Patoleos made with raw sonamasuri rice pureacutee as the base or even boiled and raw rice pureacutee as the base Extra jaggery with coconut and cardamom is the bestrdquoLiving away from home if there is anything that reminds her of Mangalore it is this very dish for the occasionldquoIt is only when you live away from home when you start valuing regional food delicacies the most There is a ton of sources like YouTube which help us get close to it and make them whenever we crave for the same However there are few that come close to homerdquo adds the communications professional who has been getting better at making the dishldquoWe start valuing traditional regional delicacies that are very seasonal and made for specific festivals only when you live away from home You pray to all your dead ancestors manage to procure the ingredients based on what YouTube and Google recipes tell you and try coming close to it by making it all by yourselfrdquo she concludesRecipe to make PatoleosEast Indian PatolePanmoris by Natasha AlmeidaIngredientsFor the rice flour2 cups rice flourA pinch of saltFor the filling1 whole grated coconut2 tbsp sugar or jaggeryA pinch of cardamomA pinch of nutmegMethod1 Mix the grated coconut sugar or jaggery cardamom and nutmeg together and keep it aside2 Mix the rice flour with salt and water as required to make a thick spreadable paste3 Spread the rice flour paste onto fresh turmeric leaves then add the coconutjaggery filling4 Fold the leaves over and steam until cooked5 Serve with tea for breakfast or in the evening or eat as dessert after lunchGoan Patoleos by Maria RodriguesIngredients1 cup boiled rice or as per requirement1 cup grated coconut or as per requirement1 block of black jaggery or as per requirementAs per requirement cardamomTurmeric leaves as per requirementMethod1 Soak boiled rice overnight Then grind it to thick paste Add salt2 Take grated coconut add black jaggery and cardamom and mix well3 Take turmeric leaves wash and dry them4 Apply a thin layer of rice paste to the whole turmeric leaf and add the mixture of jaggery coconut and cardamom around 15 tbsp in the middle from top to the bottom and close the leaf and press it so that the mixture of coconutjaggery does not come out5 Steam the Patoleos for 15 minutes and enjoy