A sanna () is a spongy, steamed, and savoury unfilled
dumpling
Dumplings are a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of cooked dough (made from a variety of starchy sources), often wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, wheat or other flours, or potatoes, and it may be filled wi ...
originally made of
red rice
Red rice is rice that is colored red due to natural anthocyanin content. It is usually eaten unpolished or partially polished, and has a red bran layer, rather than the more common pale brown. Red rice has a nutty flavor. It has the highest nut ...
,
black lentil and
coconut
The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...
in the
Konkan region, by the western coast of the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...
. They originated in
Goa and Damaon
Goa, Daman and Diu (, ) was a union territory of the Republic of India established in 1961 following the liberation of Portuguese India, with Maj Gen K P Candeth as its first governor. The Goa portion of the territory was granted full stateho ...
,
Bombay
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...
and
Bassein (Vasai). They are especially popular among
Goan
Goans ( Romi Konkani: , ) is the demonym used to describe the people native to Goa, India, formerly part of Portuguese India (''Estado Português da Índia''). They form an ethno-linguistic group resulting from the assimilation of Indo-Aryan, ...
s, both the
Goan Hindus and
Goan Christians, and also among the
Konkani migrants outside Konkan in
Karachi, Sindh
Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
,
Gujarat
Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
,
Karnataka
Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
and
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
. They are also made by the
people of Konkan division, such as the ''
Kupari'' of the
Bombay East Indian community.
Hindus normally use
urad dal
The black gram or urad bean (''Vigna mungo'') is a bean grown in South Asia. Like its relative the mung bean, it has been reclassified from the genus ''Phaseolus'' to ''Vigna''. The product sold as black gram is usually the whole urad bean, wher ...
,
coconut water
Coconut water (also coconut juice) is the clear liquid inside young coconuts (fruits of the coconut palm). In early development, it serves as a suspension for the endosperm of the coconut during the nuclear phase of development. As developm ...
and
coconut milk
Coconut milk is a plant milk extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of the milky-white liquid are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ingred ...
for fermentation.
Catholic Christian sannas consist of two types: Those made from the
toddy of
coconut flowers, and those sannas made using the
sap-toddy of the
coconut palm
The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...
.
Though both of them require the same varieties of rice, sannas are commonly made with coconut for fermentation, unlike idlis made by adding
yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom (biology), kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are est ...
.
''Sannas'' are made on special days such as
Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi (ISO: ), also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi () or Vinayaka Chavithi () or Vinayagar Chaturthi (), is a Hindu festival celebrating the birthday of Hindu deity Ganesh. The festival is marked with the installation of Ganesha's ''m ...
,
Sonsar Padvo/
Yugadi &
Makar Sankranti
Makar(a) Sankrānti (), () also referred to as Uttarāyana, Makara, or simply Sankrānti, is a Hinduism, Hindu observance and a mid-winter harvest festival in India and Nepal. It is typically celebrated on 14 January annually (15 January on a ...
,
Catholic Christians generally prepare them for church feasts,
christenings & weddings. Sometimes a sweet version is made with
jaggery
Jaggery is a List of unrefined sweeteners, traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, North America, Central America, Brazil and Africa. It is a concentrated product of Sugarcane juice, cane jui ...
, known as ''godachi sanna'' ().
Mangalorean Catholic cuisine on special days is incomplete without sannas. They are a much-loved delicacy served with ''
bafat'', a spicy
pork
Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE.
Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...
curry prepared with a medley of powdered
spice
In the culinary arts, a spice is any seed, fruit, root, Bark (botany), bark, or other plant substance in a form primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of pl ...
s. Sannas are also served alongside chicken or mutton
curries
Curry is a dish with a sauce or gravy seasoned with spices, mainly derived from the interchange of Indian cuisine with European taste in food, starting with the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch and British, and then thoroughly internation ...
, and also with beef prior to the
beef bans in India. They can be eaten for breakfast with
coconut chutney or
saambhar, or with coconut milk sweetened with jaggery and flavoured with cardamom.
In present days, the unavailability or ban of toddy in certain places, the difficult and lengthy process of extracting fresh coconut milk have made the dish an occasional delicacy, prepared during Konkani celebrations only. Sometimes, the dish is completely substituted by
idli
Idli, iddena, iddali or idly (; plural: idlis) is a type of savoury rice cake, originating from South India, popular as a breakfast food in Southern India and in Sri Lanka. The cakes are made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented de-h ...
s, made of
white rice
White rice is milled rice that has had the husk, bran, and germ removed. This alters the flavor, texture and appearance of the seed; helps prevent spoilage (extends its storage life); and makes it easier to digest. After brown rice is milled ...
and yeast-based
batter.
See also
*
Bombay Sapphire
*
Cuisine of Karnataka
Dating back to the Iron Age, Karnataka’s cuisine is said to be one of the oldest surviving in the country.
Karnataka cuisine includes the cuisines of the different regions and communities of the Indian state of Karnataka, namely, Uttara Karn ...
*
Dhokla
Dhokla is a savoury sponge dish that is native to the Indian state of Gujarat and parts of adjacent states, and is popular throughout the country. It is made with a fermented batter that is steamed to a cake-like consistency. The batter consists o ...
*
Feni (Goa)
*
List of fermented foods
This is a list of fermented foods, which are foods produced or preserved by the action of microorganisms. In this context, fermentation typically refers to the fermentation of sugar to alcohol using yeast, but other fermentation processes involv ...
*
List of Indian breads
*
List of steamed foods
This is a list of steamed foods and dishes that are typically or commonly prepared by the cooking method of steaming.
Steamed foods
* Ada – a food item from Kerala, usually made of rice flour with sweet filling inside.
* Bánh – in Hano ...
*
Puttu
*
Rava idli
Citations
{{Indian Dishes
External links
Sanna RecipeRecipe 1Recipe 2
Culture of Mumbai
Fermented foods
Goan cuisine
Indian breads
Indian cuisine
Indian rice dishes
Konkani cuisine
Karnataka cuisine
Mangalorean cuisine
South Indian cuisine
Steamed foods