Found in high altitude forests, lichens are an important ingredient of almost all spice mixes of India
A COUPLE OF years ago, I went to Narayan Bagar, a small hamlet in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand to look for a vehicle to take me to Ghesh village, one of the last villages that lead to the alpine pastures of Bagji. It was a pleasant cold evening in western Himalayas and I saw residents returning back from forests with fuelwood, fodder and leaf litter. They also had sacks full of something that they were very possessive about. Responding to my curious enquiries, one resident said, “jhula hai madam ji”. Jhula is the local name for lichens that grow profusely in the area. Over the next few days I tried to find out more about the extraction and trade of lichens from small mountain hamlets of Garhwal. Lichens are sold in the market under various trade names including jhula, mukku, makku, chadila and dagadphool. In local village haats (small shops), these are sold by spice traders. Lichens are also sold in big grocery stores of small cities as these are an important ingredient of garam masala and other spice mixes. Even spice mandis, including the biggest one in Khari Baoli in Chandni Chowk, Delhi, stock them. Lichens are collected from oak forests from September to March every year.
Esta historia es de la edición June 16, 2018 de Down To Earth.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición June 16, 2018 de Down To Earth.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
In leading role again
MOVIES AND WEB SERIES ARE ONCE AGAIN BEING SET IN RUSTIC BACKGROUNDS, INDICATING A RECONNECT BETWEEN CINEMA AND THE COUNTRYSIDE
One Nation One Subscription comes at a huge cost
As top US universities scrap big deals with top scientific publishers, India’s ONOS scheme seems flawed and outdated
Return of Rambhog
Bid to revive and sell the aromatic indigenous paddy variety has led to substantial profits for farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Terai region
Scarred by mining
Natural springs of Kashmir drying up due to illegal riverbed mining
Human-to-human spread a mutation away
CANADA IN mid-November confirmed its first human case of avian influenza, with a teenager in the British Columbia being hospitalised after contracting the H5N1 virus that causes the disease. The patient developed a severe form of the disease, also called bird flu, and had respiratory issues. There was no known cause of transmission.
True rehabilitation
Residents of Madhya Pradesh's Kakdi village take relocation as an opportunity to undertake afforestation, develop sustainable practices
INESCAPABLE THREAT
Chemical pollution is the most underrated and underreported risk of the 21st century that threatens all species and regions
THAT NIGHT, 40 YEARS AGO
Bhopal gas disaster is a tragedy that people continue to face
A JOKE, INDEED
A CONFERENCE OF IRRESPONSIBLE PARTIES THAT CREATED AN OPTICAL ILLUSION TO THE REALITY OF A NEW CLIMATE
THINGS FALL APART
THE WORLD HAS MADE PROGRESS IN MITIGATING EMISSIONS AND ADAPTING TO CLIMATE IMPACTS. BUT THE PROGRESS REMAINS GROSSLY INADEQUATE
