The Synergy Project Magazine - October 2020

Attribution: Marvelous Kerala on Flickr
was not quite a rice pudding, but
simply a mix of milk and jowar,
or sorghum (Santosh, 2016).
Eventually, in the southern states of
India, kheer evolved into payasam;
a heavier and richer version
of kheer. Typically, payasam is
distributed to devotees in temples
as prasad, or a religious offering.
This tradition is based on an
ancient legend: Lord Krishna took
the form of a sage and challenged
the king of Ambalapuzzha to a
game of chess (Santosh, 2016). The
king gladly accepted this request,
as he was an avid player of chess
and knew of the game’s tricks.
The king asked the sage what he
wanted in case the sage was to win.
The sage responded by requesting
a single grain of rice to be put
on the first square of the board,
and for that rice to be doubled
on every consequent square
after that. By the 64th square,
the king would’ve had to place a
remarkably high number of rice
grains on the square. Seeing the
king’s predicament, Lord Krishna
revealed his true form and told the
king he would not have to pay his
debt all at once, but rather pay it
off by serving devotees payasam
every day at the Ambalapuzzha
temple until his debt was paid off.
The elaborate history of kheer
has shaped it into the delectable
dessert it is today. Just like with
kheer, the entirety of India’s diverse
cuisines have intricate histories,
hidden behind masks of bold, rich,
and flavorful foods.
Works Cited
“A Guide To Indian Cuisine.” CulinarySchool.org,
CulinarySchool.org, www.culinaryschools.
org/international/indian-cuisine.php.
Inc., Restaurant Agent. “An Overview of India’s
Regional Cuisines.” Table Agent, Table
Agent, tableagent.com/article/an-overviewof-indias-regional-cuisines/.
Sahni, Julie. “South India’s Regional Cuisines.” The
New York Times, The New York Times, 21
Oct. 1990, www.nytimes.com/1990/10/21/
travel/fare-of-the-country-south-india-sregional-cuisines.html.
Santosh, Urmila. “Kheer: The Quintessential
Indian Milk Affair.” Make Heritage Fun!,
Food Heritage, 27 July 2016, www.
makeheritagefun.com/kheer-thequintessential-affair-indian-milk/.
Sarkar, Petrina Verma. “Learn About the Simple
Cuisine of East India.” The Spruce Eats,
The Spruce Eats, 19 Aug. 2019, www.
thespruceeats.com/cuisine-of-eastindia-1957881.
Lewis, Jeanine. “History of Indian Cuisine.” The
Culinary Scoop, WordPress, 12 Feb. 2011,
www.theculinaryscoop.com/2011/02/
history-of-indian-cuisine/.
Lad, Vasant. “Ayurveda: A Brief Introduction and
Guide.” The Ayurvedic Institute, 2006, www.
ayurveda.com/resources/articles/ayurvedaa-brief-introduction-and-guide.
Manali. “Rice Kheer (Indian Rice Pudding).”
Cook With Manali, 21 May 2019, www.
cookwithmanali.com/rice-kheer/.
THE SYNERGY PROJECT MAGAZINE
31