Mapillai samba or “the bridegroom’s samba” is one of those legendarily strength-imparting rices, which Tamil Nadu’s agrarian communities understood to be especially suited to male health, imparting the sort of strength, energy and basis for forbearance that young men particularly need as they ready themselves for marriage and life’s long travails. So, the rice was served by brides’ parents to their would-be sons-in-law, who had to prove themselves in sports like jalikattu or the lifting of an enormous rock called the ilavatta kal. Feeding a bridegroom mapillai samba, usually on the second day of Saiva Pillai/Vellalar weddings, was a way of both acknowledging and ensuring his continued strength. Mapillai samba is a grain only now come into great popularity, after having been rescued from obsolescence from seed grain stored by a single Tamil Nadu farmer—or so the story goes.
Scroll down for more details about this rice.
Description
NUTRITIONAL AND MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
- Folk knowledge holds mapillai samba to be iron-rich.
- Research shows that it is high also in certain phytosterols, which are plant compounds often used to decrease cholesterol levels. Like most other pigmented rices, Mapillai samba also contains phenolics—natural anti-oxidants. It is also a source of Vitamin E—but apparently less than Kalanamak, according to one study [Rajendran 2018]
- The naturopathic use of mapillai samba to treat diseases of the central nervous system/ for neurological benefits may be explained by the “presence of the core molecule 1, 4-benzodiazepine-2-one which is a known anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, sedative, hypnotic, and muscle relaxant” [Krishnanunni et al. 2015]
- CIKS reports that “The GI of Mapillai Samba is low compared to market varieties such as White Ponni … in the range of 66 – 70″—making it potentially a “diabetic-friendly” rice.
CULINARY USES
Being medicinal, Mapillai Samba should always be consumed as an unpolished whole grain, preferably by the boiling method. The cooking water or kanji can then be consumed as a drink in its own right, as it will contain valuable trace nutrients from the rice’s rich outer layers.
As a table rice, this is a bold red which holds its own—perhaps as grooms are meant to! So it needs an accompaniment that either matches it fully (potent puli kuzhambus or tamarind gravies are an option) or remains suitably subdued. In southern Tamil Nadu, maapillai samba finds just such a partner in the famous Tirunelveli sodhi kuzhambu, a stew made with a little split mung dal to thicken what is essentially a coconut milk gravy, with mixed fresh vegetables like carrots, peas, drumstick, and pumpkin added in, and the whole thing topped with crunchy fried cashews. It’s served with a puli-inji (tamarind-ginger pickle) for better digestion of this otherwise somewhat heavy and soporific meal.
WHO GROWS THIS RICE & WHERE CAN I BUY?
The huge popularity and hardiness of this rice means that many who grow heritage rices elect to grow it–making it widely available. Check for Other Possible Sources in Chennai/Tamil Nadu.
SOURCES & FURTHER READING
- CIKS, Traditional Rice Varieties of Tamil Nadu, 2019
- Krishnanunni K, Senthilvel P, Ramaiah S, Anbarasu A. Study of chemical composition and volatile compounds along with in-vitro assay of antioxidant activity of two medicinal rice varieties: Karungkuravai and Mappilai samba. J Food Sci Technol. 2015 May;52(5):2572-84.
- Rajendran, Venkatesh & Sivakumar, Hari & Marichamy, Iswarya & Sundararajan, Sathish & Ramalingam, Sathishkumar. (2018). Phytonutrients analysis in ten popular traditional Indian rice landraces (Oryza sativa L.). Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization. 12. 10.1007/s11694-018-9877-2.
Additional information
| Region of Origin | South |
|---|---|
| Grain Colour | Red |
| Grain Shape | medium |
| Fragrance | Nonscented |
