Wild Edibles & Forest Products

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

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

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

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

— Laba Kumar sabar · Bada Baridi, Rayagada, Odisha

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

— Priti majhi

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 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 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

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

— Priti majhi

We get various greens and various fruits from the forest.

— Laba Kumar sabar · Bada Baridi, Rayagada, Odisha

I will collect food found in the forest and feed the children, and use it traditionally.

— Anupama Mahanand

Grains and other food items are included from the forest.

— Sunita Kumari

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

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

— Kekti Tekam

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

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

People want to bring back the lost forest food products.

— Priti Majhi

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

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

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

— SINESH PELMAL · SKIP NO LOCATION

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

— Vijay Kumar bhardwaj · Kasdol, Baloda Bazar, Chhattisgarh

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

— Sunita Kumari

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

I want to bring back the medicinal items, food items, and root vegetables found in our forest, so that they do not disappear.

— Laxmi Bagh · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha

We tribals cut down forests to build our homes and live in the forest itself. From the forest, we get roots, flowers, and delicious fruits, and we sustain our lives from them, and we also do farming.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Our community lives by building homes in the forests, hunting wild animals, and sustaining themselves by eating tamarind, mango, guava, and other produce found in the forest. Thus, they belong to a different way of life.

— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

My name is Rina Kuonro. We are the tribal indigenous people. We produce food and collect from the forest, and we express our desire to live with the forest or with nature. This is a humble request to the government for us, and please pay attention to the forest-derived food that we can obtain.

— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha

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

My tribal people, living in the forest far from the city and making food from forest produce.

— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

My name is Isaac Sabar, village Zero Number, Panchayat Mandi Mandi, District Kandhamal. I feel that in the current situation, people used to use traditional forest products, which are forest-derived goods, in large quantities to sustain their livelihoods, but due to the lack of forests, they have disappeared. We want to restore the forests so that we can enjoy those forest products just like our ancestors used to.

— SUBASH SABHASUNDAR · Gajapati, Odisha

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

Tribal people often live in forests and eat many things that we don't know.

— Chanda

In ancient times, various types of forest products were available. And many rare fruits, that was very difficult, but now we also try.

— Padmalochan Majhi

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

— Devisingh Solanki · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh

In the olden days, our parents and we used to gather and eat a lot of Barada Saga (a type of leafy green) from the forest. But now, due to deforestation, we no longer find Barada Saga. We hope to eat Barada Saga again.

— swornalata nayak · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha

We are getting all kinds of seasonal produce from the forest.

— Laba Kumar sabar · Lamingi, Rayagada, Odisha

In ancient times, in previous eras, people collected nutritious foods like ragi, millet, etc., from the forest, ate them to stay healthy and strong, and lived for a long time. If farmers or tribal community people cultivate those essential crops of those ancient times again, it will guide them towards the development of their life's values in the future.

— Dillip pujari · Phiringia, Kandhamal, Odisha