Vada

Vada or Vayda may refer to:

People

Places

Other uses

Vada (food)

Vada [vəɽɑː] is a common term for many different types of savoury fritter-type snacks from South India with a set of common ingredients. Due to their popularity, they have spread throughout the world and are known by various names - for example in South Africa where a large south Indian population is found it is called Vade.

Description

Vada can vary in shape and size, but are usually either doughnut- or disc-shaped and are between 5 and 8 cm across. They are made from black grams and Bengal grams.

Vada is a traditional South Indian food known from ancient times. As well as being commonly prepared at home, vada are popular items in street stalls and in railway stations(including the Indian Railways). They are eaten throughout the day but most commonly as a part of breakfast alongside idlis with sambar. Vada are an indispensable part of the menu in Hindu festivals with garlands of Vada offered to Hanuman on auspicious days in South Indian Temples.

Preparation

Vada are generally prepared from a thick batter of Black gram or coarsely ground Bengal gram which has been fermented. This mixture is then seasoned by mixing with cumin seeds, onion, curry leaves (sometimes previously sauteed), salt, chillies and/or black pepper grains. Often ginger and baking soda are added to the seasoning in shops to increase the fluffy texture and improve fermentation for large batches. Homemade Vada generally do not incorporate baking soda and rely on natural fermentation (relatively easy in South India). The individual vada are then shaped and deep-fried.

Ulmus 'Wanoux' = Vada

Ulmus 'Wanoux' (selling name Vada™) is a Dutch hybrid cultivar arising from the crossing of 'Plantyn' with another selfed (self-pollinated) specimen of 'Plantyn'. Originally identified as clone No. 762, it was selected for assessment by the French Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), which patented it as 'Wanoux' (Vada) in 2006.

Description

Vada is a narrow tree primarily intended for street planting. The glossy, dark-green leaves, < 11 cm long by 8 cm wide, are coarsely toothed and have conspicuous venation Towards the end of the season however, the leaves suffer from various afflictions so they can appear shabby. Leafing is late, but not quite as late as its stablemate Lutèce. Many minor buds fail to burst, so that young plants are rather sparsely furnished; in combination with the tree’s limited lateral development, this can lead to a skeletal appearance.

Pests and diseases

Tests in France by INRA found the tree to be 'highly resistant' to Dutch elm disease, exhibiting the lowest wilting percentage of all the clones trialled, making it comparable with 'Sapporo Autumn Gold' However, the presence of U. wallichiana in the ancestry of Vada poses the risk of susceptibility to elm yellows (phloem necrosis), which seriously damaged its Dutch stablemate 'Lobel' used as a control in the Italian elm breeding programme.