Appetizers

Pachadi is Southern India’s version of the classic raita (yogurt curd w/ cucumber).  We had gorgeous radishes to use up from Little Wild Things Farm, so we’re using radishes instead of cucumber.   A Tadka is simply the addition of spices tempered in oil.   This is my first time using Asafetida … It’s a fascinating ingredient!  Ever wonder why we use THIS  symbol to represent love?  Read on!  Asafetida is widely used in Indian cuisine, but it became popular in Ancient Rome as a replacement for Silphium — the now-extinct giant fennel plant — which was both a culinary ingredient, an aphrodisiac & birth control for Ancient Romans! Apparently Nero was gifted the last existing plant to eat (figures!).  The giant fennel had heart-shaped seeds that were made into a beverage that women drank once a month to prevent pregnancy ♥️♥️  Consequently, the heart-shaped seeds of the plant made it onto ancient coins and are the reason why we now use the heart symbol to represent romance!