Kerala - Kozhikode   

Showcasing food of tribal communities

Special Correspondent

KOZHIKODE: It was a festival with a difference. Its organisers, Voice, a non-Governmental organisation (NGO) in Sulthan Bathery in Wayanad, chose to call it "Wild Food Fest."

This food festival showcased food prepared by the members of Paniya, Mullu Kuruma, Kurichiya, Kattunaikkan and Oorali Kuruma tribal communities.

The food was prepared in their age-old methods. And these were made from edible leaves, roots and vines. Secretary of Voice V. Philipose said 79 items were exhibited at the food festival. He claimed it was the first Wild Edible Food Fest organised in the State.

Voice spokespersons point out that the tribal people in Wayanad consume wild edible food sourced from forests, fields and open spaces.

The Paniyas consumes about leaves of 90 wild species of plants and trees. Kattunaikkans are believed to consume 45 and Kuruma community eat food prepared from leaves of 25 species of plants.

During monsoon, it is the practice of tribal communities of Wayanad to collect wild edible leaves, wild mushrooms, bamboo shoots and wild crabs and prepare nutritious food. At the festival, all sorts of greens and wild edible materials were used to prepare the food.

These ranged from "karimthalu" (colocasia esculenta) to bamboo shoots. The wild crab fry and curry, bamboo shoot curry, different varieties of food made of wild jackfruit found favour with the visitors to the food festival.

Babu Pazhupathoor, president, Sulthan Bathery grama panchayat, inaugurated the festival, which was held recently.

It was organised by Voice as part of its sustainable development programme, to promote tribal food habit and to publicise the richness of wild edible food.

The wild leaves and other ingredients used in the food were kept alongside the cooked food so that the visitor would know what all had gone into the dish.

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