Winters in Gujarat – Shiyaado
When there is a wood burning stove on in the middle of the living room known as “Sagadi” and everyone gathers around it to warm their bodies early mornings and late evenings, you know winter has arrived in Gujarat.
There are mainly three different seasons in India and in Gujarat they are known as Shiyaado- winter, Unaado—Summer and Chomasoo—Monsoon.
My earliest memory of the winters is waking up and showering quickly and then sitting by the “choolo” to warm my body along with my cousins. Whereas my Dada- grandpa would sit with his Gujarati newspaper reading and smiling under his nose. Choolo is a makeshift stove made with three bricks and having sticks burn in the middle so that the light can warm a pot resting on top of the bricks.
One of the staple winter foods in our house was “Methipaak.” This is also known as “Adadiyaa.”
This is mainly a sweet cake made with gram flour, lentil flour and with extra fenugreek powder in it to add some bitterness to it. Gujarati diet normally has all tastes beneficial to the body. Salt, sour, sweet, bitter and Neutral.
Mom packed us some “Koparu”(dry coconut), khajoor (dates) and gaud (Jaggery) for snacks.
I simply enjoyed those warming foods in those cold days and nights however as I got older I learned the benefits of eating that specific food during that time of the year.
Dates, coconut and fenugreek are warm in nature and are highly recommended in the winter months. Not only are they a good source of fiber, iron, magnesium, calcium and vitamins (C and B3), they are also a good source of energy.
Here is an excellent recipe for Methipaak for the winter.
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