The Bharat Parv organised by Ministry of Tourism at Red Fort invoked patriotic feeling and a sense of pride in our diversity. The former was stirred by Republic Day tableaux displayed and the armed forces bands playing heart warming tunes and the latter through the performances of cultural troupes and the array of Indian delicacies offered.
People thronged at the food festival conducted by the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) which brought the diverse regional and tribal delicacies for all round the country under one roof providing a great opportunity for visitors to savour the delicacies. The Jharkhand Tourism stall was one of the star attractions of the even as it presented the State’s culinary delights.
One got hooked from the starters onwards which included pyazi, the spring onion pakodas served with three kinds of chutneys: kudrum, a sweet paste made from the fruit of red jute trees; spicy tekla chutney made of tekla leaves and green chillies and the authentic tangy tomato sauce made from smoked tomatoes and crushed garlic.
Thus setting the right tone, the main course followed to satiate the awakened appetite and doing this were dishes like aaru ki sabzi (a root vegetable found in Jharkhand only), footkal saag and kurthi daal served with sona choor usna rice pulao chilka roti (fine bread made of rice flour) and dhooska, soft deep fried batter of wheat flour and rice. For those favouring non-vegetarian food there was paya shorba soup and maduwa khassi, smoked skin intact mutton served with rice.
“The chief ingredients of Jharkhandi food are mustard oil and rice and most of the vegetables used are found in jharkhand only such as the aaru and kudrum,” remarks Chef Ramchandra Oraon.
Drawing the curtains on this delightful food journey was peethas –– rice dough balls stuffed with coconut and suffused with the sweet taste of date jaggery.
Commenting on the promotion effort, Suchitra Sinha, Director of Jharkhand Tourism, says: “Cuisine and culture are best promoted through the word of mouth and we expect people who will eat our cuisines will automatically become our ambassador and promote our cuisine in their respective circle.” While she points that since the State is comparatively new, its cuisine does not find place in restaurant menus, Oraon says restaurants with modern kitchens find it difficult to prepare cuisines with traditional tribal methods and hence avoid including them.
Similar to the food the displayed Sohrai paintings and handicrafts made of grass reflected the simplicity of the tribal way of life. The Chaau dance performance at the venue doubled the delight of the visitors who gave a standing ovation to artistes.
