One of the ancient temple towns in Karnataka is Banavasi, which is located near Sirsi in Uttara Kannada district. It is located deep in the rainforests of the Western Ghats of the Varada River. Banavasi was also referred to as Vanavasika earlier. During the Kadamba period, it was known as Jayanthipura or Vaijayanthi Pura. But did you know that before Bengaluru, Banavasi used to be the capital of Karnataka? What’s interesting to note is that these two capitals have a special food connection, which is Kalbuthi.
Banavasi was ruled by Kadamba rulers, who were the first native empire to bring Karnataka into prominence. In the town lies the Madhukeshwara Temple which was built in the 5th century AD and is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
400 years ago, Brahmins of Chitpavan, who resided there, found a special stone in the Varada River, which was smooth and high in minerals.
Reportedly, Kalbuthi was the first snack prepared by the Brahmins in Banavasi. Travel writers, Anurag Mallick and Priya Ganapathy found an heirloom recipe of Kalbuthi at the house of 79-year-old Indira Phadke of the Phadke Anno family. They revealed that the dish is prepared individually for every family member as everyone wants their stone.
Here is the recipe for Kalbuthi:
Take some curd and rice and mix it with coconut oil, chopped onions, neem leaves, pepper, mustard seeds, turmeric and salt.
On the other hand, use a tong and pick up a round flintstone from the river bank and put it on high flame for at least 10 minutes.
As the stone gets hot, pour Oggaraṇe, which is a seasoning of food with sesame, curry leaves and asafoetida, over it. Then using a tong, bury it between the curd rice preparation. The stone gives a strong smoky flavour which enhances the taste of the dish.
As the food cooks, cover it with a banana leaf for 5 minutes and then you can enjoy piping hot Kalbuthi.
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