“There are many sweets made in Andhra. But, ‘Putarekulu’ are made only in Atreyapuram. If you enter our village, the sweet ghee smell will welcome you,” say women of the village.
Tucked in lush green fields on Godavari canal bund, the village became famous for its ‘Putarekulu’ sweet which is exported to various Indian cities and other countries.
Boards erected in front of every house with the script ‘Nethi Putarekulu’ ammabadunu’ (Ghee Putarekulu are sold here) and grandmothers, daughter-in-laws and grand daughters diligently preparing the delicacies are seen at every house.
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“Many sweet stalls are surviving by selling ‘Putarekulu’. We sell each roll at a low cost and the stall owners are selling them at higher prices. Still ‘Putarekulu’ sell like hot cakes,” say the traditional sweet makers.
Thousands of women are taking ‘putarekulu’ and rolling the sweets, and men in families are helping to get raw material for preparing the savouries. Sweet stalls in Rajahmundry, Amalapuram, Razole, Bhimavaram, Kakinada, Yanam, Visakhapatnam, Eluru, Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Pune and other cities are the major buyers of the special sweets, said a woman Velpuru Mavullamma.
“Putarekulu are being served along with meals during marriage functions, birthdays, marriage days, Satyanarayana Vratams, all festivals, political meetings, retirement functions and many other celebrations. No function is being held without ‘Putarekulu’ sweet,” says Yatam Kanaka Durga, of Atreyapuram village.
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“Our village is a hub for ethnic foods and we want to provide all traditional foods in Atreyapuram. Along with ‘putarekulu’, we are selling mango jelly, ‘bobbatlu’, ‘purnam burelu’, ‘ariselu’, pickles, curry leaves powder (Karivepaku podi), Red gram powder (Kandi podi) and other varieties,” Ms. Kanaka Durga told The Hindu.
Visitors from far off places visit Atreyapuram village and purchase fresh stocks every day. Some women are engaged in taking ‘putarekulu’ while some are involved in rolling the sweets.
“There are a few varieties of ‘putarekulu’. The sweet variety can be made with sugar and ghee, jaggery and ghee, sugar and jaggery mixed, sugar, jaggery and dry fruits and also with milk cake. The price of one roll ranges from Rs. 6 to Rs. 30 while it costs around Rs. 40 to Rs. 50 in a sweet stalls and restaurants,” Ms Kanaka Durga said.
‘Putarekulu’ made with ghee and jaggery can be stored up to one month. If made with dry fruits, the rolls can be stored for 10 days. However, the sweets can be preserved for more days by storing in fridges.
Other varieties like mango jelly, pickles and ethnic foods are available throughout the year in the village at reasonable prices, the women said.