A dimension within Traditional Food & Health
This theme covers the cultivation of traditional and wild edible foods from forests for nutrition and health.
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Negative
Overall Community Sentiment
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
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 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
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
In ancient times, in previous eras, people collected nutritious foods like ragi, millet, etc., from the forest, ate them to stay healthy and strong, and lived for a long time. If farmers or tribal community people cultivate those essential crops of those ancient times again, it will guide them towards the development of their life's values in the future.
— Dillip pujari · Phiringia, Kandhamal, 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
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
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
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
We used to eat Mahua before, all kinds of Mahua, Rama Mahua. Because we ate all that, our body used to stay well. If you eat that, you too will stay well again.
— Laxmi Bagh · Sundargarh, 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
Our fathers and grandfathers were healthy and strong by eating plenty of nutritious food from the forest, such as Mahua, Tol, Bhadbhadiya Saag, Mamer Saag, Leper Saag, and Karadi.
— Paradeshi Mirdha · Sambalpur, Odisha
Traditionally, we used to use various types of medicinal properties from the forest.
— Suna majhi
Earlier, we used to eat gethi kanda, nekuwa kanda, sarai mahua lata, and all the mahua lata.
— Sunita Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
We get various types of fruits and roots from the forest.
— Laba Kumar sabar · Bada Baridi, Rayagada, 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
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
Currently, we are seeing that people are gradually obtaining the fruits, medicinal plants, greens, and nutritious food that were available in the forest.
— Ramadas Badanayak · Udulibeda, Malkangiri, Odisha
I remember we have been frying and eating Mahula, the food of the forest.
— Priti majhi
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
Our fathers and grandfathers were healthy and strong by consuming plenty of nutritious food from the forest, such as Mahua, Tola, Bhadabhadia greens, Mamer greens, Leper greens, and bamboo shoots.
— Paradeshi Mirdha · Sambalpur, Odisha
We get various greens and various fruits from the forest.
— Laba Kumar sabar · Bada Baridi, Rayagada, Odisha
My name is Rukmini Pradhan. I wish that all the tubers, edible creepers, Amla, Baana (wild fruits/berries), and resin that we used to collect in the forest in ancient times, and by eating and drinking them, we used to live well. And currently, we were spending our lives eating food prepared without natural sustenance, without chemical fertilizers. Now we wish for all these things, and I am expressing my opinion about tubers/roots.
— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha
In earlier times, we used to get medicine from the forest.
— Amar Lal Dhurwey · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh
Yes, I remember we have been frying and eating mahua, the forest food.
— Priti majhi
Our traditional food was powdered sag, jhadada sag, and ragi. We used to make sag from rice powder and eat it. Forest products like mushroom also need to be eaten in the same way. Health will be good.
— jitendra khila · kudumulugumma, Malkangiri, Odisha
From the forest, we also get many things as vegetables, such as
— Kekti Tekam
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
In the past, we used to eat various things from the hills, such as Kangu Jona Ganthia, and lived well because of them. Things that grew without fertilizer used to ripen quickly. Now, nothing is ripening from the hills, and they are not cultivating them anymore.
— Prakash ch Pradhani · Karubai, Rayagada, Odisha
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
In ancient times, our Aamli, Kuri, Vati, and Mal, the wood visible in this forest used to be cut, and then crops were sown, and that was...
— Mohan AHARI · Dabaycha, Udaipur, Rajasthan
People will now bring and eat mahua char kendu found in the forests that they had lost in the past, preparing it as food.
— Priti Majhi
My name is Dhiren Badhai from Kiyariya village and Bamani Gaon Panchayat, Dharibari block. Our ancestors used to eat roots, leafy greens, fruits, and tubers from the forest, living a nutritious life, but now all of that has decreased.
— SUBASH SABHASUNDAR · Gajapati, Odisha
We have found Mahua. In ancient times, people used to boil and eat Lukra Mahua, and they used to get vitamins. In this era, if Mahua is eaten, the body remains healthy.
— Gitanjali Bhoi · Sundargarh, Odisha
Suryakanti Pradhan, Block Raikia, District Kandhamal. Our ancestors used to cultivate vegetables without fertilizer and ate forest-grown roots, gaining good health. Now we wish to live like this too.
— RITARANI PRADHAN · Kandhamal, Odisha
We used to live in our nature with the forest, happily bringing forest produce. We would all eat and live together. You were climbing.
— sudhir gamanga · Gadiakhala, Ketalugurha, Rayagada
In our region, 'Gati Kandha' is available/common. People of the past used to eat all such things, and because of that, their bodies remained healthy. Nowadays, people are consuming foods that contain fertilizers (or are chemically treated), which is causing many types of diseases to arise.
— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
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
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
