A dimension within Tribal Forest Restoration
This theme explores the traditional food habits of forest dwellers, contrasting them with modern diets and discussing related health issues and heritage.
150 voices speak to this
Each dimension splits this theme further — keep drilling to see how it breaks down.
Neutral
Overall Community Sentiment
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
Let me tell you. We are forest dwellers; we have eaten wild fruits. Our gods and goddesses, our worship, and all our traditions are different. When it comes to food and drink, we can even cook meat on a traditional stove and serve it. What else is cooked like that?
— Ulapi Sahu · Balangir, Odisha
Our people still want to eat the old food and forest products that were cooked, whether by forest dwellers or Mughals.
— Gitanjali Bhoi · Sundargarh, Odisha
We tribals are completely different from other castes; our ancestors used to live in forests and sustained themselves by eating fruits, flowers, etc., from the forest.
— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
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
Tribal people often live in forests and eat many things that we don't know.
— Chanda
Our tribe lives in the forest, far from villages and cities, and for food, they eat mahua, dori, koyna, this street, etcetera, kola.
— bachcha lal · Shahganj, 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
Our tribe is different from other tribes because our festivals, food, lifestyle, worship, and everything else is different. We live our lives according to our own ways; our eating and drinking habits are also different, and we also eat tubers and fruits from the forests.
— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
Our community lives by building homes in the forests, hunting wild animals, and sustaining themselves by eating tamarind, mango, guava, and other produce found in the forest. Thus, they belong to a different way of life.
— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
Tribal people generally live in forests, live in hills, eat forest products, so they lead a different life from ordinary people.
— Kunakanta Behera · Dashapalla, Nayagarh, Odisha
My name is Rashmita Pradhan. Just as our ancestors remained healthy by eating fruits and roots found in the forest, prepared without chemicals, we also wish to eat the same food now. We are from tribal-dominated areas. Our forest is our lifeline. Therefore, our ancient traditions should be restored, and our forest should not be destroyed. Thank you. Raika Kandhamal.
— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha
In our ST community, everything has changed for the people of this district. Before, we used to bring tamarind, mahua, and all kinds of forest products to eat and drink.
— Puspanjali Nag
Ans - In ancient times, people used to bring tubers, leafy vegetables, fruits, and roots from the forest and eat them. They also ate boiled leafy vegetables. Village - Kutiguda Name - Devendra Madkami
— Champa Gatan · Pujariguda, Malkangiri, Odisha
We used to eat greens from the forest, including Madhuranga greens, Nautia greens, Marisa greens, and all those other types of greens.
— Sanjukta Arukh · Tamando, Khordha, Odisha
We are all tribal people, we live in forests. We collect our food from the forests. With that, we sustain ourselves. This is indeed our life's goal.
— KusaPradhani · Anakabadi, Rayagada, 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
Our tribe is completely different from other castes. Our lifestyle and food habits are completely different. We are completely dependent on nature. We also get various food items from nature. We worship nature.
— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
We eat jujubes, mangoes, and various wild fruits in our diet, and we live our lives by consuming them. We are a distinct community, separate from others, brother.
— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
Among forest tribal foods, we use mushrooms and Jamakali in a foreign manner.
— Padmalochan Majhi · Ratachua, Rayagada, Odisha
My tribal people, living in the forest far from the city and making food from forest produce.
— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
Forest-derived food includes fresh bamboo shoots, bamboo sago, and Kendu fruit, among others. We obtain our food from the forest.
— S Guruteli · Upperpur, Malkangiri, Odisha
We used to eat sitha saga since ancient times. Even now we wish to eat sitha saga, and we will. The forest is being destroyed now.
— swornalata nayak · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha
We get various types of fruits and roots from the forest.
— Laba Kumar sabar · Bada Baridi, Rayagada, Odisha
We are tribals, we are nature worshippers. We always depend on trees and plants to live. We sustain our livelihood by eating its tubers, fruits, and roots.
— PRADEEP KUMAR KANHAR · Boudh, Odisha
I am Juno Chhatria. We are tribal people. We used to live by cultivating the forest and land. We used to eat fruits and roots from the forest, and we used to eat food without fertilizers, and we were not victims of any disease. Currently, we are eating food with fertilizers and are facing various diseases. That's why we request the government to return our previous world to us. Raykia Kandhamal.
— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha
We are from the tribal community, and our main food items are rice, peja (gruel/porridge), bhaji (greens/vegetables), kodo (millet), kutki (millet).
— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh
Our caste lives in the jungle, far from villages and cities, and consumes things from the jungle, and that is why they are different.
— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
We get various greens and various fruits from the forest.
— Laba Kumar sabar · Bada Baridi, Rayagada, Odisha
We Adivasi communities are communities that depend on nature, collect roots and tubers from the forests, and use them as food, which is very nutritious and also serves as medicine.
— Ram Kumari
In ancient times, various types of forest products were available. And many rare fruits, that was very difficult, but now we also try.
— Padmalochan Majhi
Tribal people used to build homes after cutting down forests and used herbs, fruits, and food from the forest. And they used to drink Chuwada water. That's why tribal people are different.
— Chanda
We tribals cut down forests to build our homes and live in the forest itself. From the forest, we get roots, flowers, and delicious fruits, and we sustain our lives from them, and we also do farming.
— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
Our ancestors lived by eating forest-grown tubers. We also now wish to prepare and eat all the food that is made through the destruction of those tubers. Therefore, we request the government to stop all of that and make arrangements.
— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha
I remember we have been frying and eating Mahula, the food of the forest.
— Priti majhi
Even now, fruits, flowers, healthy herbs, and medicines from the forest are being used by us, including the tribal community.
— ishwarsabar · Chelema, Seraikela-Kharsawan, Jharkhand
We are a tribal community. Our language and food are different because of our tribal identity.
— Bharati Khandapatra · Mayurbhanj, Odisha
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
Yes, I remember we have been frying and eating mahua, the forest 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
