(Author’s Note: IDLI WORSHIP is not to be confused with Idle Worship, the global worshipping of laziness or with Idol Worship, the worshipping of carved idols prevalent in many parts of the devoted world).

Have you heard about the South Indian God of Breakfasts?

IDLI. That magnificent savory rice cake that is made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented, de-husked black lentils and rice. Yes, the same IDLI that is sometimes made with other ingredients like Millets, Semolina, Oats etc.

IDLI. That brilliant concoction that defines the early morning tastes of millions, male and female, young and old, poor and rich. That dollop of soft semi globular symmetry that mixes so well with a host of chutneys, curries, sambaars and rasams, even a variety of powders.

No one really knows when this culinary God first blessed mankind but it was definitely one of the happier days of the last millenium. While there is no mention of the IDLI in the epics, it is quite possible that Sita made Ram IDLIS for breakfast before sending him off on a deer hunt, and the camp cook served a breakfast of these discs to Arjuna, Krishna and the others before they took on the Kauravas. Of course there is nothing to substantiate the theory that the Kauravas lost the battle mainly because their cook preferred to serve Dosas to the troops and that turned out to be a hugely time consuming affair that cost them the war.

But IDLIS are definitely mentioned in the official Minutes of the Meeting of the Gods in a very early BC (Before Christ) period. The Minutes note that IDLIS were served to the Gods of Burgers, of Tacos, of Bread & Eggs, of Parathas, of Vada Pavs and many others and were appreciated by all.

Even Jesus, the Son of God is known to have tried this delicacy. In fact the common phrase ‘Jeez!!! That’s good stuff’ is purported to be the phrase that escaped the lips of the apostles when HE served the ‘Last Breakfast’, an occasion that Leonardo da Vinci forgot to document into a masterpiece.

Recent findings indicate that IDLIS were first discovered during the Equinox a few thousand years ago. While the exact year is not known, the exact day when they were first launched to a grateful world is March 30^th which is today celebrated as World Idli Day. And the Idlis prepared and served on this day are called WIDLIS.

Thanks to their magical powers, almost immediately after they were discovered, the people of the world started to worship IDLIS. And IDLI worship took on some strange hues.

Almost as a carryover from the ‘yagnas’ of yore, pouring pure ghee on top of IDLIS became par for the course. In places like Guntur the Ghee pouring was followed by bathing the IDLIS with ‘gunpowder’, that delicious  powder that’s part of every South Indian meal.

For the Marwaris who loved their butter, Hyderabad bandis run by legends like Ram, Govind, Kishan etc. innovated the IDLI fry which was their way of praying to IDLIS while on a Tawa of Amul Butter.

Not to be left behind, the Sardars of Hyderabad tweaked their Dahi Vada recipes and made Dahi IDLIS their staple chant.

But inspite of being world famous in South India, IDLI making is still a rarefied science and IDLI worship suffers from lack of practitioners who actually know how to conjure up the right IDLIS.

You see, IDLIS normally exist in the liquid state. And have to be steamed up to reach their stable solid selves. It’s a process that’s akin to the purification of Sita and is marked by the traditional three whistles of the Pressure Cooker.

Also the art of yodeling which is essential for IDLI WORSHIP is a dying art and there are very few people who can actually yodel: Lay Idli Lay Idli, Lay ee Oh…the yune (that’s a yodel tune) that became very popular after its rendition in the film, The Sound of Music.

On World IDLI Day, after a more intense and longer session of IDLI prayer, worshippers are advised to pack boxes of IDLIS for lunch, tiffin etc. for their children, parents, friends, other members of their families and so on. The more benevolent can conduct IDLI distribution camps.

But whatever you do, the thing to remember is that the IDLI is a symbol of World Peace and a life of pure adaptability.

For more details about IDLI WORSHIP and the practices involved, do write to me for a copy of my book The IDLINamah.