Ramblings
Heritage Cuisine Lavang Lata at Babumosai
by Vikram Karve
“Heritage
Cuisine” – sounds good isn’t it?
You may presume that this pompous term refers to pretentious traditional
high-brow cuisine which adorns the tables of the classes!
In my vocabulary “heritage cuisine” is high-falutin gobbledygook for
simple staple down-to-earth local street-food relished by the masses.
Like VadaPav (Mumbai’s “Heritage Burger”), or Puneri Misal,
or Kulcha Chole, Katchi Dabeli, Bhel, Kathi Kababs,
Baida Roti, Malpua – the list is endless.
There is a
delicious sweetmeat called “Lavang Lata” which I tasted for the
first time and relished piping hot at Pehelwan’s at the end of Lanka
near BHU in Varanasi in the seventies. A cool Lassi ( in winter)
or warm milk (in summer), both with dollops of rabdi added,
topped up the gastronomic experience.
Later, in the
eighties, I came across slightly different versions of Lavang Lata at
various eateries, most notably Nathu at Bengali market in New Delhi. But
these versions were nowhere close to Pehelwan’s Banarasi Lavang Lata.
Just imagine my surprise, when, during my walk last evening, I chanced
upon a delectable Lavang Lata in an out-of-the-way unpretentious sweet
shop called ‘Babumosai Bengali Sweets’ tucked away almost in obscurity,
way off the beaten track, on Aundh Road on the way to Khadki inPune.
Actually I
was in search of Rasgullas. (Roshogollas, if you want it spelt that
way). Having relocated from a ‘happening’ place like Churchgate in the
heart of Mumbai to an obscure “back of the beyond” desolate place
somewhere in the jungles on the banks of Mula river between Aundh and
Sangvi, craving and wandering desperately in my search for ‘heritage
food’, I hit the Aundh road past Spicer College towards Khadki, enjoying
a refreshing walk between the expanse of the verdant Botanical Gardens
and the foliage of Pune University, when in the first building I
encountered on my left, I saw a nondescript signboard “Babumosai Bengali
Sweets” (maybe the spelling ought to be ‘Babumoshai’) atop a deserted
lackluster sweetshop.
There was no one in the shop and the lifeless atmosphere and uninspiring
display almost put me off. But having come so far, I decided to give it
a try and looked at the sweets on display in trays behind a glass
counter - Rasgullas, Sandesh, Rajbhog, Gulab Jamuns, Malai
Sandwiches - the ubiquitous ‘Bengali Sweets’; and suddenly a man came
out carrying a tray of piping hot Lavang Latas, the very sight of which
made my mouth water so much that I ordered one immediately.
I walked outside the shop, stood in the cool evening air, took a small
bite of the Lavang Lata, rolled the syrupy hot piece on my eager
salivated tongue and closed my eyes in order to enhance my gustatory
experience.
I pressed the Lavang Lata upwards with my tongue against the palate, the
roof of my mouth, and slowly it disintegrated releasing its heavenly
flavor of nutmeg and cardamom. That’s the way you should enjoy Bengali
sweetmeats – never bite, swallow and devour in a hurry. Don’t use your
teeth; slowly, very slowly, just roll on your tongue and lightly press
on the roof of your mouth till the delicacy melts releasing its
luxurious flavor and divine fragrance into your gustatory and olfactory
systems. And remember, keep your eyes closed, shut yourself to the
outside world, focus on your tongue, internalize the experience and
transcend to a state of delightful ecstasy, till you feel you are in
seventh heaven. That’s the art of eating.
The Lavang Lata is perfect. Not sickly sweet, but tantalizingly tasty,
with the subtle essence of its ingredients and seasoning coming through.
The rabri and khoya, the raisins and dry fruits, the crispy sweet crust,
the spices and most importantly, the exotic fortifying and stimulating
taste of clove. It’s sheer bliss. The invigorating taste lingers on my
tongue for a long long time , as if for eternity.
Just writing this is making my mouth water. And I am rushing to
“Babumosai” once more – this time to sample the Rasgullas, maybe the
Sandesh – and I’ll tell you all about it right here.
And I’ll keep writing about all the my experiences with “Heritage
Cuisine” and the art of eating.
Dear fellow Foodie - do let me know if you enjoyed reading this.
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