Puttu is a famous dish in Kerala, India. An author Tanya Abraham in her book Eating with History has claimed that it’s origin lie with the Portuguese. Any information on this would be helpful.

8 comments

1. I’ve never heard about this dish. I Googled it to see the ingredients and if there was something similar to puttu in the Portuguese cuisine. Does the author mentioned Goa, Damão and Diu In the book?
   Because in History of Portugal classes, the teachers say these 3 places were once a portuguese colony. Goa been the most important.
   So it could have been influenced by Goa food?

2. I’ve never heard of it nor think there’s anything like it here

3. We don’t have anything like this in Portugal, and bamboo doesn’t grow here. If this was a Portuguese Indian dish it never made it’s way back to Portugal so we wouldn’t know.

4. I mean our Bolo de Arroz (literally Rice Cake) is one of those cakes you can find anywhere.

   https://canalcocina.es/medias/users/68106/8fqupyb2kk4fi829cf69.jpg

   It’s made from rice flower and is somewhat cylindrical.

   I wouldn’t be surprised to be a connection between the 2, but really don’t know. If I had to guess I would say the origin is probably the other way around though.

5. The Portuguese brought chilli peppers and tomatoes to India, and influenced a lot of local dishes. However, I don’t think this was one.

6. meu puttu

7. Eu arranjo-te a receita, é na boa puttu

8. Oh I’ve eaten a lot of Rice Cakes in my days, very popular in the Middle and Northern Portugal in the old days.

   When I was a teen I remember one discussion if the Portuguese Rice Cakes that we left in Japan, India and Siam (Thailand and Cambodia) were in fact from a Portuguese recepee or an adaptation from an early Japanese dish, so I really don’t know, the only thing I know is that even today when a 90 year old aunt makes them they are delicious.

   All the best