Diwali legiyam

When I see the muted Diwali celebrations these days, I miss the vibrancy and fervour it had when we were young.  We did not worry about adding calories or polluting the environment so much then. 

My mom’s Diwali preps would start days in advance, planning the variety and quantity of sweets and savouries to be made.

One of my fond memories of Diwali is the early morning ritual of ‘oil bath’, wearing new clothes,  and of course, hogging the home-made sweets and savouries.

Along with the sinful treats, there was one essential element in the Diwali platter and that was the legiyam or Diwali marundu (medicine) as it was called. Well, it did have a medicinal effect since it was made of ingredients that helped in quick digestion.

So what goes into this magic potion? Pepper (different varieties like black pepper, arisi thippili, kanda thippili), ginger (dry and fresh), ajwain, and jaggery. The jaggery water is boiled along with the dry-roasted and powdered spices to an almost paste-like consistency.

Yes, like most other things associated with festivals, this too is commercial now: legiyam is available in stores and can be bought online too!

So, the next time you feel guilty for your sweet indulgences, just remember to keep a jar of legiyam handy!