Koozh - Most ancient and healthy food in the world!!

        Koozh / Kuzh is the most ancient and healthiest food in the world. It is the super food of ancient Indians and it is considered as a staple and healthy breakfast.

        Koozh is a probiotic food, prepared using millets through fermentation process. Curd and Koozh were the FIRST probiotic food founded by ancient Indians, around 9000 years before...

       

         Hence, Koozh is the most ancient food in the world. It was prepared using millets such as Ragi / Finger millet or Kambu / Pearl millet / Bajra. Rice was cultivated in the last 5000 years, but before that millets were widely used by Indians. Koozh is considered as an easy, healthy, energetic and filling breakfast. It is in the form of kanji (porridge), so it's easy to consume. 

            Koozh is a part of daily diet of rural and agricultural people. As, it is prepared using millets, it is loaded with proteins, vitamins, minerals (rich in calcium),  dietary fibers and good bacterias, which is good for the gut health. High number of good bacterias are formed during fermentation process of this food and hence it's having a probiotic potential. These good bacterias are responsible to improve the gut health of the body.

        It can also be consumed by babies and children. Even today, in south india, babies will be given Ragi porridge, to gain weight and to improve bone strength. It is a powerhouse of calcium.

Traditional koozh preparation involves fermentation process. Curd is also prepared using fermentation process. Though, it is a simple procedure, koozh has numerous healthy benefits. Fermentation is an excellent innovation in food science. Let us see about the hidden health benefits of fermentation method....

 Fermentation - was FIRST founded by ancient Indians in India. Curd and koozh were the oldest food in the world, which is prepared using fermentation process. During this process, natural good bacterias are formed, which is called as 'Probiotics'. Also, while fermenting millets, the levels of Thiamine, riboflavin and niacin contents will be increased rapidly. 

        

        Fermented foods contains probiotics contents such as lactobacillus bacterias. These bacterias are called as good bacterias, which are improves gut health in the human body. 

        Gut health plays a major role in our immune system. It comprises more than 75% of our immune system. There are about trillions of microorganisms in the gut that promotes normal gastrointestinal function, protects body from the infection and regulates the metabolism.

        Probiotics gives your immune system a boost, it promotes the production of natural antibodies in the body, it helps to maintain good gut health. If you gut is healthy, then your immune system will self heal your body automatically...

        Probiotics promotes the natural production of antibodies in the body and boosts the immune cells.

         Consuming Indian spices, herbs, fermented foods are in practise among the people for several thousand years without any side effects. In Tamil, there is a saying called 'Unnavea Marundhu', Marundhea unnavu', meaning, 'Food is medicine and medicine is food'.

        These traditional Indian foods such as Koozh, took care of the gut health in the body. If your gut is healed, then rest of your body will be healed automatically by the body's immune system. Gut health plays major role in the immune system to work effectively. 

            Now, coming back to koozh, this popular fermented food is highly nutritious and a perfect immunity boosting food. As this food is like malt, it improves the digestion in the body, by converting complex carbohydrates and proteins into simple sugars and amnio acids. The fermented Ragi koozh is rich in amino acids such as valine, threonine, leucine and phenylalanine.

In South India, especially in Tamil Nadu, for many festivals and occasions Ragi koozh is being offered as prasadham to God. In the month of Chithirai (first month of tamil calendar i.e April / May) and in the month of Aadi (July / August), ragi koozh or kambu koozh will be prepared in huge vessels in temples and offered to Amman goddess who is called in different names such as Mariamman / Karu mari / Yellamma etc. 

        In the above picture, koozh is prepared for pooja in a brass vessel, who's neck is tied with a garland of neem leaves. 

Kambu koozh / Pearl millet / Bajra:

        Koozh is also mentioned in tamil Sangam literature as healthy traditional breakfast or lunch. Below picture is: Kambu koozh / pearl millet / Bajra koozh...

       This kambu koozh is rich in fiber, high in iron, calcium and vitamin B, B12, essential nutrients, proteins. It gives a sour tang flavor due to fermentation. It can be consumed by adding water, buttermilk, onion, curry leaves, and coriander leaves served with side dishes like green chilies, pickles, spiced mango or dry fish gravy. The microbes present in the koozh is probiotic in nature and contains micro-organisms provide health benefits when consumed

        Millets are widely used by ancient Indians and so it was largely cultivated than rice. Millets were given much importance in the Indian foods.

There is also a song for Lord Murugan that starts with, 'Thaenum Thinai Maavum' - meaning - I offer honey with Thinai flour ie. Foxtail millet. This shows how the millets were valued and given importance by our ancient Indians. 

        The meal made of Thinai / foxtail millet was the staple food of ancient Tamils is called as 'kali' and a drink made out of kali is called as 'koozh'. These foods Kali and Koozh is also mentioned in tamil sangam literatures. Kaikuthal Arisi and the millets are also highly nutritious. 

Below are the different varieties of millets used in India...

        Consuming millet is more healthier than rice, as millet releases a lower percentage of glucose.

Millets have a greater amount of minerals like iron, magnesium, phosphorous, tryphtohan, phosphorus, fibre, B vitamins, anti-oxidants and potassium than rice.

Below millet varieties are largely used in Tamil nadu rural areas...

• Barnyard Millet (Kuthiravaali in Tamil)
• Finger Millet (Kelvargu )
• Foxtail Millet (Thinai)
• Kodo Millet (Varagu)
• Little Millet (Samai)
• Pearl Millet (Kambu)
• Proso Millet (Panivaragu) 
• Sorghum (Cholam) 

Phytochemicals:

        Koozh prepared using millets are rich in phytochemicals. phytochemicals are naturally occurring compound, which plays important role in the human body. The phytochemicals may stimulate the immune system, slow the growth rate of cancer cells, prevent DNA damage that can lead to cancer, reduce inflammation and helps to regulate hormones. These phytochemicals act as antioxidants, neutralising free radicals and removing their power to create damage. 

        That's why Koozh is called as 'Super food of Indians'. Ancient Indians regularly consumed this food, they were fit and lived healthy lifestyle for around 100 years without any diseases such as diabetes, cholesterol, obesity, blood pressure etc. 

        My great grand mother, who took only traditional Indian foods had lived up to 97 years without having any of these new diseases. She was fit and healthy. Also, she never took any medicines, even though she gets cold or fever. She knows most of the home remedies, so she follows only those remedies such as Kashayam / kada / herbal drink, pepper rasam, dry ginger paste on forehead to reduce fever etc. She regularly consumed millet based food and she made sure to eat fermented food like Koozh, Idli, Dosa for daily breakfast.

This koozh is also called as 'Kanji', sometimes it's together called as 'Koozh Kanji'.

        This food is famous across Asia and consumed daily. In some Asian countries such as China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Srilanka and Vietnam, it is called as 'Congee', which is prepared using rice, vegetables or meats through fermentation process.

        It is also eaten as 'Canja', in Portugal. In Polynesian diet, it is called as 'Poi' and it's considered as staple food for people in Hawaii, cook islands, Easter islands, Marques Island etc. In Polynesia, it was prepared using taro roots and it is their most ancient food...

Poi - Polynesian staple food 

            Traditional Indian foods has plenty of nutritional values for a good health. It's not too late than never, so do change the food style, eat traditional indian foods, include more millets in the diet and spread this knowledge with the next generation kids for a healthy living!

        Koozh is not just a food, it's a food science, which is been under estimated for decades. After globalisation, Indians who are not aware of the knowledge of fermentation, considered traditional Indian foods as cheap and unattractive. Now everywhere in commercial markets, big companies are selling probiotics and fermented foods in an attractive packaged box with a high price. Westerners realised the values of our food...

         It's now high time to return to our roots, choose homemade healthy foods and naturally fermented dishes for a good health of our family!!

Health is Wealth!!

- Aarthi Thiyagarajan