The cookery contest organised by The Hindu, in collaboration with the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority (APTA), highlighted the rich food diversity of Machilipatnam on Saturday. The contest was aimed at documenting and popularising the unique dishes of all the districts in the State following a thorough field-level study on their preparation.
The delicious combination of bitter gourd with prawns prepared by winner S. Satyavathi has thrown light on the tastes of the coastal communities with better access to marine food.
The practice of mixing the two different tastes in preparing a mouthwatering dish has won the first place.
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Ch. Lankamma won the second prize for her entry of mixed vegetable ‘pulusu’. Another dish, ‘aalu-kheer’, prepared by T. Satyavathi, became a symbol for the adoption of food habits among the various religions live in the port town.
The women from different walks of life have showcased their talent with their delicious dishes which they prepared at home and brought to the venue.
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25 varieties
At least 25 food varieties in the categories of desserts, vegetarian and non-vegetarian were in the fray. APTA Assistant Director (Andhra Cuisine Development) J. Nishar Ahmed has documented all the food varieties with details including preparation method and connection with the local area. Accompanied by the jury of chefs, Mr. Nishar has interacted with the contestants, who would be presented the prize money in the finals scheduled to be held in the second week of December in Vijayawada.
Nutritional values
“The contest has been scheduled to conduct in 22 towns in coastal districts of Krishna and Guntur, exploring the local dishes to introduce them to the rest of the State. The district-wise list of dishes will be published in December,” said Mr. Nishar. The contestants have shared the nutritional values of the dishes.