Why moode may soon fall off Mangalurean festival menus

MANGALURU: The unique aroma of moode– steaming idlis unravelling from screw-pine leaf moulds – is integral to traditional celebrations in Dakshina Kannada. Be it Krishna Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi or Deepavali, the delicacy is part of the festival spread. But with the pine shrubs and mould makers being edged out by rapid urbanisation, it is slowly disappearing from breakfast plates.
The screw pine (kedige) used to make the cylindrical moulds are mainly found in Bajpe, Thokur, Polali and Kavoor in Dakshina Kannada. “Earlier, the screw pine shrubs were everywhere. Now, they are hard to find,” says Nithyananda who has been weaving moulds for the past 25 years and is a regular at the Car Street Flower Market. “Even people like me, who have been eking out a living by weaving these moulds for decades, have decided to quit and do something else. If this continues, moode will soon be a thing of the past.”

Making the moulds is tough and tricky, he says. It takes an expert to pick the right shrub and cut the leaves which have vicious spikes on either side. The wound from a prick takes days to heal. “Each person is paid Rs 800 a day to do this,” says Nithyananda. Once collected, the spikes are removed and the leaves are weathered to remove moisture. They are rolled in a bundle and then woven into cylindrical moulds. An expert weaver can make two to three moulds out of one leaf. The rice batter is poured into the moulds and steamed. “Two people are needed to clean and weave the leaves. I am planning to quit after this season. I collect the leaves from a plot which has been acquired for a power project. Who knows when they will clear it,” says Nithyananada.
There are six or seven moode sellers near the Flower Market, the only place where Mangalureans can buy moulds throughout the year. “Moode is a must for Janmashtami,” says homemaker Sonam Nishan Bolar. “The first day, it is served with coconut, jaggery and milk and the second day, with a curry. The festival is incomplete without moode.”
“When I started, each mould sold for 80 paise. Now, four medium moode moulds sell for Rs 100. It is getting costlier as the kedige is disappearing,” says Nithyananda.
Mamatha, a resident of Kavoor, says she had been making moode moulds for 23 years and her main customers today are hotels. Her two children, in nursing and polytechnic college, both weave moulds as well. “Every day, we supply about 200 moode moulds to hotels. Otherwise, good business comes during Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Deepavali, Nativity of Mother Mary, Christmas and Eid celebrations. There is no supply of leaves and labour cost is high,” says Mamatha.
Two of her relatives gave up the job recently as it was no longer profitable. “It is difficult to survive but I have to keep at it since I am the only bread-winner in the family. Once my children complete their education, I can give it up,” she says.