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SHOPPING IN COORG: GIFTS FROM THE LAND  

By Arati Monappa*

Friends and acquaintances visiting Coorg always call to ask what they can buy in Coorg? Coorg has no fancy shopping malls or speciality stores! And after all, is a holiday ever complete without souvenirs to take home?

I thought it might be an interesting exercise to put together a list of things one can take back from Coorg. The district was once well known for its honey. Unfortunately today the quality is never consistent, though one could buy at the Honey Cooperative Society at Virajpet and take a chance.

In Madikeri, and the resorts in Coorg, one can pick up packets of pepper, cardamom and coffee, often vacuum-packed to retain freshness. Also available and highly recommended is “Kachampuli” (a black vinegar made out of a wild fruit), a tamarind like concentrate, that is specially used to flavour meats. A packet of the Coorg “pork masala” would be useful for any kitchen shelf as it could be used with chicken and meat, adding a very special flavour.

Seasonal in nature are pickles of “bamboo shoot” and “Koilemeen” (tiny fish caught from streams) pickle as are the “passion fruit juice” and “mint juice” – the very colour of the juice is enough to make you drool! Many of the major towns in Coorg stock homemade wines. Some are too sweet, but one could get lucky with an excellent batch of ginger wine or apricot brandy.

Some of the Coorg snacks are unique, such as a packet of sweet “Kajaya” – dark deep fried circles with a hole in the centre, very much like a Uddina Vada to look at, made of sweetened rice flour and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Also different is the “Chikalunde” which fortunately is not overly sweet.

Coorg has an array of jewellery shops, a unique set of ornaments, and excellent workmanship. However, one has to be careful with the quality of gold. There are varieties of “Kadagas” or bangles, beautifully crafted pearl jhumkas, long jommalaaes with hollow gold beads strung traditionally in black, but now also in other colours. Some jewellers make the bangles in silver with the same intricate work, which looks stunning.

The baskets in Coorg are very tempting. There are flat round platter like baskets, square ones with high sides and moulded rims. The “polia” basket, used in the wedding ceremony, in pink and white, with a lid has many uses.

Many people have also been enchanted by the thin towel (chelemund), with printed patterns that they have taken back from Coorg. It is used to dry one’s hair, but is also useful when traveling since it dries so fast! It used to be available only in white, now it has vibrant patterns.

The Coorg Wildlife Society has some nice T-shirts, umbrellas, caps and very informative books on the flora and fauna of Coorg.

True, there are no exotic stores in Coorg, but a walk along the “high street” in each town, could spring some surprises! And always keep an eye open for the homemade goodies that you find at the stores. Most Coorg women are excellent cooks, and you might chance upon some yummy guava cheese, marshmallows, or macaroons, the kind you haven’t tasted in a long time.

*Chindamada Arati Monappa, textile designer, brings out a line of clothing, sarees and accessories, primarily using natural dyes and craft techniques. She runs an eco-friendly store “Serenity” in Bangalore.  Based in Coorg, she enjoys exploring her roots and the Coorg community to which she belongs!

Source: Coorg: Land of Beauty and Valour by P.T. Bopanna, Rolling Stone Publications, 2010. Paperback copies of the book available on Amazon:

https://store.pothi.com/book/p-t-bopanna-coorg-land-beauty-and-valour