Ancestral Food Traditions

We used to gather forest products like mahua, cook them, make cakes, and eat them in the forest. Even now, we will learn from our ancestors.

— Gitanjali Bhoi · Karamdihi, Sundargarh, Odisha

Yes, I remember we have been frying and eating mahua, the forest food.

— Priti majhi

I remember we have been frying and eating Mahula, the food of the forest.

— Priti majhi

People will now bring and eat mahua char kendu found in the forests that they had lost in the past, preparing it as food.

— Priti Majhi

Before, we used to eat saag roti, kurthi dal, urad dal, and mahua saag. Sometimes we would find amla and bael from the forest, and that's how we used to sustain our lives.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

People will now bring mahul char kendu found in the forests that they had lost in the past, prepare it as food, and eat it.

— Priti Majhi

Our people still want to eat the old food and forest products that were cooked, whether by forest dwellers or Mughals.

— Gitanjali Bhoi · Sundargarh, Odisha

We are the people of earlier times who used to eat mahua from the forest, eat chakad shak, eat millet bread, eat corn bread. Now people eat good food, and because they eat good food, they catch so many diseases.

— Sunita Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

We get our nutritious diet from the forest, such as Mahua fruit Doli oil in the form of fat, Kodo, Bhaddi, Kulthia, Mahua flowers, Jamun, Mahua kheer, Bhaji, etc.

— Surajsingh Parmar · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh

We can bring the native Kakada found in our forest, cook it, and eat it.

— SINESH PELMAL · SKIP NO LOCATION

We all fill our stomachs by eating Mahua saag roti, which is our favorite food. Mahua is obtained from trees in the forests, and we also eat roti with bathua saag, which is our favorite food item and is very nutritious.

— Ram Kumari

In our ST community, everything has changed for the people of this district. Before, we used to bring tamarind, mahua, and all kinds of forest products to eat and drink.

— Puspanjali Nag

Let me tell you. We are forest dwellers; we have eaten wild fruits. Our gods and goddesses, our worship, and all our traditions are different. When it comes to food and drink, we can even cook meat on a traditional stove and serve it. What else is cooked like that?

— Ulapi Sahu · Balangir, Odisha

The edible items found in the forest are Kendu, Chaar, and Mahua, which

— Vijay Kumar bhardwaj · Kasdol, Baloda Bazar, Chhattisgarh

When guests come to your house during festivals, what items do you bring from the forest to use in food? For example, we bring 'koldi' and use it to eat, and we also bring a lot of greens, like 'saag ghasara', and use them to eat.

— Santosh Pradhan

We used to eat sitha saga since ancient times. Even now we wish to eat sitha saga, and we will. The forest is being destroyed now.

— swornalata nayak · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha

Earlier, we used to eat gethi kanda, nekuwa kanda, sarai mahua lata, and all the mahua lata.

— Sunita Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

From the forest, we bring mahua and mahua seeds.

— Kekti Tekam

Let the Mahua, Char, and Kendu (products) from the forest be processed for food.

— Priti majhi

From the forest, we also get many things as vegetables, such as

— Kekti Tekam

We get various greens and various fruits from the forest.

— Laba Kumar sabar · Bada Baridi, Rayagada, Odisha

Yes, it is food eaten in the forest, which we include as food. Oh oh.

— Rakesh kumar Kumar

We get various types of fruits and roots from the forest.

— Laba Kumar sabar · Bada Baridi, Rayagada, Odisha

We used to eat Mahua before, all kinds of Mahua, Rama Mahua. Because we ate all that, our body used to stay well. If you eat that, you too will stay well again.

— Laxmi Bagh · Sundargarh, Odisha

In the past, we used to eat mahua, and also made four laddus by frying mahua. We would also cook rice with gulgi and eat it. Now, if Anganwadi...

— Anjana Khadia · Sundargarh, Odisha

Our tribe lives in the forest, far from villages and cities, and for food, they eat mahua, dori, koyna, this street, etcetera, kola.

— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Grains and other food items are included from the forest.

— Sunita Kumari

Forest products such as Jharakunduru, Pitalu Konda, and various other types of edible forest produce are available. These also serve as food for animals and birds, and consuming them provides nourishment.

— Anirudha Marai

To include forest-based foods like Mahua ladoo, Char ladoo, Phuljhi, etc., in PDS and midday meals.

— Anjana Khadia · Sundargarh, Odisha

From the forest, we collect ruguda mushrooms, mudhi saag, kuiler saag, girel flowers, bhindua kadi, and so on. If all these are nutritious foods for us, they should be included in the midday meal.

— RINA BEHERA · Hemagiri, Sundargarh, Odisha

When we talk about locally available food, our Kurudi mushrooms, along with Siali and Kendu, are all such forest foods.

— gobardhan pangi

Currently, we are seeing that people are gradually obtaining the fruits, medicinal plants, greens, and nutritious food that were available in the forest.

— Ramadas Badanayak · Udulibeda, Malkangiri, Odisha

Nutritious food found in the forest: Mudhi saga, Chhati saga, Bhadbhadia saga, Koila saga, Munga saga, Ghumi saga, Tartha saga.

— Parsuram Sa · Sundargarh, Odisha

We can give fruits found in the forest like :- Tendu, Char, Aonla in our lunch.

— Upendra Kumar Mahananda

We Adivasi communities are communities that depend on nature, collect roots and tubers from the forests, and use them as food, which is very nutritious and also serves as medicine.

— Ram Kumari

Wants to eat Mukhani bhaji and Khatta Aamdi bhaji from the forest.

— Devisingh Solanki · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh

Grains, food, and foodstuffs are included from the forest.

— Sunita Kumari

We can bring Mahula's char tendu from the forest and use it in food and also give it to children.

— Anupama Mahanand · Subdega, Sundargarh, Odisha

In our forests, various edible fruits and flowers like Chhode ki Bhanji, Patari, Peepar, Katto, Laheren, Kotwal, Bhanji, Fisdi, Gadsukhadi, Banspihari, and many others are found.

— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

My name is Rashmita Pradhan. Just as our ancestors remained healthy by eating fruits and roots found in the forest, prepared without chemicals, we also wish to eat the same food now. We are from tribal-dominated areas. Our forest is our lifeline. Therefore, our ancient traditions should be restored, and our forest should not be destroyed. Thank you. Raika Kandhamal.

— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha