Championing The Country's Indigenous Cuisines

Many indigenous dishes of India that were lost to the junk food revolution are seeing a revival. TAZEEN QURESHY talks to restaurateurs who are driving this movement by putting tribal culinary gems on their menu.

- Tazeen Qureshy

A DRIVE TO THE Galikonda viewpoint in Andhra Pradesh's Araku Valley offers the most exquisite view of the region. As my eyes scan the hills and serpentine roads below, I get a whiff of chicken being cooked in the makeshift tents nearby. A young boy is busy roasting pieces of marinated chicken stuffed inside a bamboo spool. The dish, popularly known as bongulo chicken or bamboo chicken, is the native dish of tribes living in Araku Valley and is on the must-eat list of tourists. It is this bongulo chicken that sparks my quest of individuals and restaurants championing the country's indigenous cuisines.

India is home to over 500 indigenous communities with distinct cultural identities and a repertoire of delicacies. These traditional tribal dishes take inspiration from their place of origin and have evolved in the process.

The tribes of north eastern India, for instance, mostly prepare stew delicacies. The technique of roasting is also popular in this part of the country (such as smoked pork and bamboo steamed fish of Nagaland). In Kerala, curry is a staple. The thal curry (a vegetarian dish made from yam stems and exotic spices), puzha meen curry (a tangy curry of river fish), and chemmeen curry (prawns curry made with tamarind and coconut oil) are the popular ones. In the states of Odisha and Jharkhand, traditional pithas or pancakes, like the jil pitha, are mostly steamed or griddled. The Warli tribe of Maharashtra are mostly non-vegetarians, and dry fish is their common dish. However, their daily intake also includes fresh leafy vegetables like spinach and shevga (drumstick) with rice.

Tribal cuisines of India, known for their rich flavours, high nutrient content, and natural and easy cooking methods, are gradually finding their way into the mainstream.