Traditional Foods & Health

We used to boil mahua and eat its cooked flowers, and our health remained good. Even now, if we could prepare and eat it, we would be healthy.

— Gitanjali Bhoi

In the past, people used to boil and eat mahua from the village, which contained vitamins. Even now, if mahua is boiled and eaten, it will still be beneficial.

— Gitanjali Bhoi · Karamdihi, Sundargarh, Odisha

In ancient times, people used to boil and eat Mahua, but it is not seen much nowadays. If people still boil and eat it, their bodies will remain healthy.

— Gitanjali Bhoi · Sundargarh, Odisha

We have found Mahua. In ancient times, people used to boil and eat Lukra Mahua, and they used to get vitamins. In this era, if Mahua is eaten, the body remains healthy.

— Gitanjali Bhoi · Sundargarh, 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

Mahua was available in our area. We used to say that eating boiled mahua keeps the body healthy. Even now, if consumed after boiling, the body remains good.

— Gitanjali Bhoi · Sundargarh, Odisha

In ancient times, people used to boil and eat Mahua. Mahua has many vitamins and is nutritious food. It would be good if it was given in schools.

— Gitanjali Bhoi · Karamdihi, Sundargarh, Odisha

Mahua has vitamins. People used to eat it boiled before, and it would be good to eat it boiled now.

— Gitanjali Bhoi · Sundargarh, Odisha

When we used to prepare and eat food with Mahula, we stayed healthy. We should still eat it now.

— Laxmi Bagh · Sundargarh, Odisha

Mahua is a forest product. In the olden days, people used to boil and eat it. Even now, if boiled and eaten, it would be good, or if made into laddus and sold, it would sell.

— Gitanjali Bhoi · Sundargarh, Odisha

Mahua is available in Amara. Previously, mahua cakes were cooked and eaten. It would be good to cook and eat them now too. Your body will remain healthy.

— Gitanjali Bhoi · 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

In ancient times, people used to eat mahua, and it was very good. Now, if mahua is boiled and eaten again, it would be good again. How many boxes were there?

— Gitanjali Bhoi · Karamdihi, Sundargarh, Odisha

Mahul is a forest product that people used to boil and eat in ancient times. It would still be good to boil and eat it, or it could also be sold by making it into packets or laddus.

— Gitanjali Bhoi · Sundargarh, Odisha

We were eating Mahul, greens, and temple-prepared food, and our health was good. Now, eating this will be good.

— Laxmi Bagh · Sundargarh, Odisha

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

— Sunita Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

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

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

— Priti majhi

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

Mahua has many vitamins. We eat mahua by boiling it or by making cakes from it.

— Gitanjali Bhoi

Earlier, we used to eat mahua from the sarai in the jungle and sustain our lives. No fertilizer was used at all. Our bodies also remained healthy. Everyone used to be strong and robust, and lived for a long time.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Eating Mahua flowers kept health good.

— Anjana Khadia · Subdega, Sundargarh, Odisha

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

Mahua has good vitamins; it will be beneficial if eaten after cooking.

— Gitanjali Bhoi

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

— Priti majhi

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

Mahul, char, and sargi have a lot of vitamins. Our bodies used to stay healthy by eating them. It would be good if the government provides food to students.

— Laxmi Bagh · Sundargarh, Odisha

Eating boiled Mahul (mahua flowers) or ladoos made from them will keep your body healthy and cure anemia.

— Laxmi Bagh · Sundargarh, Odisha

Mahua oil has vitamins and if you make and eat Mahua ladoo, the body remains healthy and good.

— Gitanjali Bhoi

There are vitamins in mahua. It tastes good if you make and eat idli from mahua.

— Gitanjali Bhoi · Sundargarh, Odisha

Among forest products, Mahua is also a nutritious food. It would be good if the government utilizes this Mahua in various ways and provides it in school mid-day meals.

— Anjana Khadia · Sundargarh, Odisha

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

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

We indigenous people used to eat roots and tubers from the forests and sustained ourselves with them. These also served as medicine, keeping our bodies healthy. Even today, we should use roots and tubers.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Mahua flowers and other foods obtained from the forest are very nutritious. Therefore, it is appropriate to include these foods in PDS or mid-day meals.

— Anjana Khadia · Sundargarh, Odisha

If Mahua is added to our food, it will provide vitamins.

— Gitanjali Bhoi · Sundargarh, Odisha

Mahua is one of the most nutritious food items, which is very beneficial for our health. Along with this, coarse grains (millets) are also beneficial for health. They should be included. PDS.

— संगीता मीणा · Metali, Dungarpur, Rajasthan

Mahua contains good vitamins. If prepared with Mahua, what should be cooked? Thinking of eating.

— Gitanjali Bhoi · Sundargarh, Odisha

Mohan has vitamins. Previously people used to cook and eat them. Now, if they eat cooked food, it would be better.

— Gitanjali Bhoi · Karamdihi, Sundargarh, Odisha

Our fathers and grandfathers were healthy and strong by eating plenty of nutritious food from the forest, such as Mahua, Tol, Bhadbhadiya Saag, Mamer Saag, Leper Saag, and Karadi.

— Paradeshi Mirdha · Sambalpur, Odisha