The Aadi Mahotsav- A Celebration of the Spirit of Tribal Crafts, Culture and Commerce is on at DilliHaat, INA, New Delhi till the 30thNovember, 2021 from 11 am to 9 pm. The Aadi Mahotsav has been organised as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav week celebrations of Tribal Affairs Ministry launched on 15th November by the Prime Minister , which has also been declared as Jan Jatiya Gaurav Divas.
One of the most interesting aspects of tribal life is the array of authentic dishes, unique to the different tribes. Authentic tribal cuisine is a major attraction of the ongoing Tribes India AadiMahotsav Dilli Haat in New Delhi. The National Tribal Festival, an annual affair, showcases interesting dishes from across the country. Crowds visiting Dilli Haat have been thronging to the Aadi Vyanjan section, where food stalls from across the country, from states such as Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Nagaland, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh have been put up.
Tribal communities have a close connection with nature; their simplicity and reverence towards nature is carried over to the food. The same reverence is reflected in their cuisine; the tribals consider their food to be sacred. Tribal cuisine is not only interesting, but also nutritious and balanced. Be it the daal baati churma from Rajasthan or the litti chokha or Thapdi roti from Jharkhand, or the kadhi from Uttarakhand, tribal food is simple, nutritious and edible. There seems to be a preference of different types of millets among the tribals – hence dishes made out of major and minor millets are available such as ragi pakodas and madwa rotis from Jharkhand, ragi idlis and dosas from Tamil Nadu.
Over the past few days it has been observed that some dishes attracted more attention than the others. Chapda chutney or red ant chutney had many takers. Chapda chutney, made from red ants, is said to be not only tasty but also helps keep diseases at bay. Mahua dishes also garnered much interest. Mahua trees are commonly available all over the forests of central and western India. Not surprising then are the mahua dishes – ranging from mahua tea to mahua shakarpara.
One can also enjoy other exotic, tasty foods such as dhuska (deep fried snack made of powdered rice), banjara biryani, thapdi roti, herbal teas and Araku coffee from different parts of the country.
Visit AadiMahotsav and support the “Vocal for Local” movement and help in building a self-reliant India! #BuyTribal