Food as medicine in Kumaoni cuisine

Hemp was eaten in Uttarakhand long before the new age christened it as a “complete protein”. So were flavoured salts, wild rice, and a host of healthy millets. In these hills, the food is tasty but also nourishes and heals.

“I grew up in a village where we found cures for all our health problems in the kitchen and not at a chemist shop. Our elders whipped up delicious food that was simple yet stimulating,” said chef Pawan Bisht, who has been trying to revive heirloom recipes from his homeland in Kumaon, which is a region within the state of Uttarakhand

Associated with big brands like Olive Bar & Kitchen, One8 Commune and Neuma, Bisht belongs to Ramnagar in Jim Corbett National Park and is a big believer in functional foods. 

“They made a local dish called rajjda from indigenous red rice, black soybean paste and desi ghee, to treat jaundice and other liver ailments. Anyone complaining of kidney stones was fed the delicious gahat ki daal. Cooked slowly in iron pots over a woodfire for hours, the daal (lentils) invariably became a cure for anemia. Sisson (stinging nettle) ka saag was meant to heal wounds, burns and even control blood sugar,” offered Bisht by way of examples.

“Some of these practices are still around but most foods are fast joining the ‘forgotten’ list. This is what concerns me as a food specialist,” added Bisht.

The cure is in the kitchen

Through his Instagram account, Bisht has been documenting the traditional Kumaoni cuisine and writing extensively about their medicinal properties. He talks about the black bean being an important crop because of its high nutritional and medicinal value. The seeds are cholesterol-free but contain linolenic acid, which has been found to prevent heart disease. 

Also Read: Delicious traditional Odia recipes that you must try

The branches of a timur (Sichuan pepper) tree are used as a medicinal toothbrush (photo courtesy Pawan Bisht)

He highly recommends madua (finger millet) for its rich calcium, potassium, and protein content. Madua rotis are enjoyed with dollops of ghee and jaggery in villages and the ghee helps in digesting coarse grains. 

From mandua (black wheat), jhingora rice and wajon (like barley) to kala bhatt (black soya bean) and bhura bhatt (brown soya bean), the soil in Kumaon is teeming with nutrition. 

Almost 220 varieties of beans are cultivated all over Uttarakhand, with every mountain village and valley using a favourite variety and recipe. The abundance of soybeans and kidney beans consumed here helps people put up with the physically challenging life in the mountains.

Foraged delicacies 

There are many ways of exploring the diverse Kumaoni cuisine. One of them is a nature hike or trek that could open a fascinating world of herbal apothecary for you. 

For instance, a stinging nettle leaf plant always grows near spinach – the former stings while the latter heals. For the longest time, people in these villages have used herbs for their preventive as well as curative properties in the form of teas, powders, pastes, poultices, and tinctures. The branches of timur (Sichuan pepper) tree, for example, are often used as a toothbrush and dental medicine for toothache in the neighbouring forests.

Various kinds of beans including black soybean are in abundance in the Kumaon hills (photo courtesy Pawan Bisht)

In all, 94 species of wild edible plants have been identified by the local communities of Kumaon and Garhwal hills (also a region of Uttarakhand). Trekkers can spend days gathering wild berries like hisalu, learning to identify and cook foraged greens like fiddlehead ferns, unearthing myriad varieties of wild mushrooms and collecting dried buransh (rhododendron) from trees.

Also Read: Kanakapura’s idli king shares secret recipe

Served as a refreshing sherbet in the summers, rhododendron is also served as a hot tea in the winter for a cosy nightcap. It has anti-inflammatory powers and is good for curing aches and pains.

As you trek higher, the high-altitude regions are home to the well-known gucchi and morels (Morchella). These are wild, edible mushrooms and are one of the most highly prized mushrooms across the world. What makes gucchi so special is the fact that they are rare and almost impossible to cultivate. They have traditionally been used to treat gastric ailments, and heal wounds and joint pains.

Comfort food

If roughing it out is not your cup of tea, the other way of getting acquainted with rustic Kumaoni life is by staying at a homestay and eating and cooking with the hosts. 

The picture depicts the gahat ki dal (lentil), which when cooked can treat anemia (photo courtesy Pawan Bisht)

Chances are you will be treated to slow-cooked curries, flavoured with unique local spices like jambu, jhakeya, gandherni and bhanga. A visit to the farmers markets is necessary for seasonal finds like kafal, khumanis, rare condiments, and heritage vegetables like black potatoes. 

While traversing the winding roads of Uttarakhand, make a halt at fiddlehead farms (locally known as lingura), and pick up wild colocasia leaves, local big cucumbers, and radishes – unlike their city counterparts, the pahadi mooli is sweet and delicious.

Most of the food in mountain villages is cooked to keep the body warm and the digestion smooth, around the year. Be it grains, pulses, oils or meat preparations, most Kumaon recipes are meant to protect the eater from the chills. 

Also Read: 7 cooling drinks from the Indian heartland to enjoy this summer

“Items like ramdana, bhatt, jharangi urad, pahadi palak, jimbu, walnuts, grapefruit and hemp chutney are used extensively in Uttarakhand during winters because these foods are warming in nature,” said nutrition consultant Sangeeta Khanna.

Predominantly vegetarian, Kumaoni cuisine is replete with recipes passed down from generations of pastoral, pesticide-free living. In times of farm-to-table concept restaurants and growing faith in organic produce, such rustic regional finds deserve a spot at the top.

The lead image at the top shows the Kumaoni dish rajjda which is made from indigenous red rice, black soybean paste and clarified butter or ghee  (photo courtesy Pawan Bisht)