Avil Pori, Nel Pori & how they managed to beat Darwin’s Theory of Evolution?

Happy Karthee or Happy Karthigai Deepam. This is a festival that falls a few days after the Diwali festivities are done and dusted and a few days before the well-awaited year end holidays. This is typically celebrated by the Hindus in South India.

Karthigai is more religious than the more social yet religious Diwali. I don’t remember buying new dresses for Karthigai, unless you bought one too many for Diwali and saved one for Karthigai, as an afterthought! Also, though some folks celebrate this festival by bursting crackers, I don’t remember buying crackers specifically for Karthigai, unless you got tired at some point in Diwali and yes saved it for Karthigai, again as an afterthought! Enough said about the light & sound, Let’s just say Diwali is the more popular cousin.

Sweets can’t be too far away when we talk about festivals and because I need to eventually get to the title of my blog. 

For Diwali the sweets that we make, eat, and distribute come in many forms and shapes. They range from super traditional to super modern. Loads of sugar to none of it. From the easy on the wallet refined flour-based recipes to the more pricey walnut, fig and pistachio based assemblies. Everyone wants to try their hand and some eventually get to it, get it done or get it bought. With regards to how we individuals respond to the never-ending supply of sweets during Diwali one might get a cue from a traditionally handed down wisdom from one generation to next - "Do not get your BP and Sugar levels checked for a few weeks after Diwali".

For Karthigai however, the sweets and the offerings are a lot less innovative and more defined. The menu is typically Nei Appam, Nel Pori, Avil Pori and Adai – with the first 3 being sweet and Adai being the savoury stand out. While Nei Appam has a fan base that swear by it, the extra dollops of ghee (Nei) that goes into the dish do help the cause to make it a sought after goodie- one Karthigai after another. Adai is a more protein rich version of the crispy Dosa. If you can’t resist Dosa, you will love Adai. And so, I rest my case for Adai right here.

That brings us to Nel Pori and Avil Pori – the protagonists of this blog. My difficulty with these two dishes begins with not knowing one from the other and even if I managed to do so I can’t get too far in trying to describe it to an audience not familiar with it. Imagine a caramel pop corn that is not crunchy, has far less caramel but has some tiny bits of pecans thrown in a mountain of crispy corn that has gone too mushy. That is the closet I can get to Avil Pori or Nel Pori – Replace the Corn with some form of rice, the caramel with jaggery and pecan bits with crunchy coconut bits. I must admit however that on desperate days, the coconut bits come handy and are the saving grace. There have been lawsuits filed when someone gets more than their share of the coconut bits while others, without the incentive of the extra bits of coconut, just take part in helping to finish off this dish so that everyone can move on in their lives and eventually get to other sweets and snacks.

That hopefully gives a context of why I am indeed intrigued by how Nel Pori and Avil Pori have managed to find a place in the “Treats calendar” of south India by defying the laws of evolution – the survival of the fittest! How have these two dishes mysteriously prevailed over eons of ridicule by judging Indian palates and did not get dropped from the menu or evolve into more a fancier version of themselves – something like crispy caramel popcorn with pecans. I do believe there is an explanation for this anomaly. I am sure it has survived for a reason. Can we be enlightened before we get to the festival of lights next year. Happy Karthigai Deepam to all.