Tuesday, November 20, 2007

What's This?

This is the first installment of the What's This? series.This guy was selling this tuber?, vegetable?, tree trunk?, fruit?, on the sidewalk beside the Jehangir Art Gallery in Bombay. He would cut slices and sell them to people passing by. It tasted kind of like jicama and waterchestnut, but it was more dry.Here is a closer look. Notice in the pic below I have taken a few bites out of a slice.
so.... What's This?

The last post was Soul Cocina Blog's 100th post. Although some of the posts came from the earlier blog, Rani and Raja which was hijacked one day while I took it off line for a minute for maintenance.

Tune: Two More Dead (Hundred Strong Remix) by RJD2

Tune: Pounds And Hundreds (Lbs & 100s) by Otis Redding

Tune:Fall in Love Again by Ms. Dynamite

Here is a short dubbed out mix that starts with Ms. Dynamite's "Fall In Love Again"
Tune:Dj Rajah's Love Dub mix
In keeping with the What's This? theme, I'll let you guess the rest of the track list for the Love Dub mix.

Tune: I'm a Drifter by Lowell Fulsom from a Kent Records 7"

Tune: This Feeling (Freedom) part 1 by Julius Brockington & The Magic Force from Burman Records 1974

Tune: This Feeling (Freedom) part 2 by Julius Brockington & The Magic Force from Burman Records 1974

Brockington put out a bunch of gospel records as well in the 70's. He played keyboard on a bunch of soul records too.
According to O-Dub, this 1974 record is a "remix" of the same song that was originally released 1n 1973. I guess the original version of this record did not have the haunting keyboards. I'm glad I found the 1974 version, cause I love what the keyboard adds to the cut. A 7" single being remixed onto 7" again? Sounds like Jamaica!

Buy music from some of today's Soul Cocina featured artists.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's a root. I suppose they make chips of that... dont' know the name

Suja said...

This is the center of the coconut tree trunk . I have tasted these in madurai.
I came to your site from mahanandi.
-Suja

Anonymous said...

In some places of Andhra Pradesh, this is called "bhoochakra gadda" ("భూచక్ర గడ్డ")in Telugu language. Bhoochakra=earthwheel, gadda=tuber

This is a kind of huge root (or root tuber). This tastes like raw sweet potato, and vendors usually apply light sugar syrup to make it sweeter.

Anonymous said...

It is the heart of a palm tree.

Many varieties of palm have edible pith, e.g. palmetto palm, rattan palm, sago palm.

I have had such stuff in Kenya where it is street food, just like in the picture!

vally said...

This is a tuber it is called Maerua oblongifolia or boochakra gadda

Maerua oblongifolia (syn. Maerua arenaria, Niebhuria arenaria) is a low woody bushy under-shrub sometimes scandent to 2-3 meters high, with a thick root stock and thick leaves, and strongly scented flowers, occurring in India, Pakistan, Africa and Saudi Arabia.


Selling Bhoochakra gadda root small round pieces
The root of this plant, which tastes like coconut pulp, is edible and is eaten with sugar. In Telugu this plant is called by name Bhoochakra dumpa or Bhoochakra gadda. Tribes harvest this tuber in summer. The tuber is medicinal and is eaten to quench thirst. Traditionally, the fleshy roots of this plant is used as alternative tonic and stimulant. The plant is also used for treatment of Snake bite and Scorpion sting

Abhishek Umesh said...

Can anybody tel me where this Bhoochakra gadda (Maerua oblongifolia)tuber available in Karnataka..
Please let me know

Abhishek
abhishek.vim@gmail.com
9480113259

Unknown said...

Come to yemmiganoor

Unknown said...

You will get this bhoochakra gedde in Chikkamagalu district

anfal said...

vv puram bangalore

Anonymous said...

i was just reading about this truly interesting stuff on Atlas Obscura......
The writer on the Atlas has, apparently, been seeking to identify this thing for years to no avail -- despite he enlisted the help of some scientists....
Anyway, below-stated here's direct link for you to read it all for yourself:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/indian-street-snack-root

Rama said...

¤
B4 identifying by Scientific name, Mareua Oblongifolia, even i thought it must be a rare occurrence. Then i discovered it in my neighbourhood.

Master ji paan centre said...

One slice how much rupees