Jo Macdonald

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106-year old Cook Taking YouTube by Storm

Think YouTube is just for teens and twenty-somethings?  Well think again.  

The latest YouTube sensation is 106-year old great-grandmother Mastanamma Karre from India.  Believed to be the world's oldest YouTuber, Mastanamma shares her traditional Indian cooking recipes, with videos made and uploaded by her great-grandson.

The videos show Mastanamma preparing and cooking dishes such as Lemon Rice, Prawn Biryani, and Mango Chicken Curry from outside her home using simple traditional cooking methods such as peeling vegetables with her fingers and grinding her own spices.   No fancy kitchen gadgets here, it's back to basics and cooking with soul.  Be warned though, if you like precise instructions and detailed recipes these videos probably aren't for you, instead they take you on a visual journey of spices, herbs and colourful ingredients leaving you to be inspired and cook with intuition rather than full guidance. 

Having married at 11 and never been to school, Mastanamma had 5 children and is now a widow with just one of her children still living.  She continues to cook for herself everyday and still works in the paddy fields. The videos not only show Mastanamma cooking but also insights into Indian village life and the countryside around her.  In a video about her life the love that her family has for her and her humour and joy for life shine through.  As Mastanamma herself says 'if I start any work I will have success' - and the popularity of her videos proves her right with each one attracting several hundred-thousand views.