Reviving Traditions Knowledge and Food Biodiversity in Sitapur District Via Millets Recipe Contests

Food biodiversity may contribute to sustainable food systems which can strengthen efforts to end hunger, curb malnutrition, improve livelihoods and also contribute to greater socio-cultural wellbeing. Keeping in view the importance of traditional knowledge about various food systems, the present study was planned to capture the traditional knowledge and food biodiversity in Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh through various recipe contests among local farm women. Surveys were conducted by subject matter experts of KVK-II, Sitapur and found that there are three blocks of Sitapur district namely Mishrik, Machreta and Aeliya where the traditional millets crops are grown and consumed in daily diet. Recipe contests were organized in theses blocks and documented different types of millet-based recipes including millet type, ingredients used, recipe type, method of preparation, recipe name in the local languages, cultural importance, nutritional and health benefits of that recipes. The study documented 30 types of millet-based food recipes from local farm women of sitapur district, such as Jowar ki Katli, Kakun ka Bhat, Popped Bajra Laddu, Sanwa ka Bhat, Makke ke Ladoo, Kakun ki Kachori, Bajra ke Bade, Sanwa ki Tahedi, Bajra ke Namkeen Puwa, Bajra ki Namkeen etc. Pearl millet (Bajra) has been predominantly used to prepare food recipes followed by sorghum and Barnyard millet. Various types of cooking techniques, such as steaming, roasting, frying and boiling have been adopted to prepare these recipes. All the traditional food recipes were analyzed for their sensory attributes and the results showed that Sorghum based sweet recipe i.e. Jowar Ki katli fell in the category of “liked extremely” on the basis of sensory scores given by consumers, whereas all pearl millet based recipes were fell in the category of “liked very much”. The present study concluded that these types of recipe contests demonstrate the feasibility and importance of greater inclusion of food biodiversity for a wealth of benefits ranging from healthy diets and nutrition to improved ecosystems, prosperity and socio-cultural wellbeing. Moreover, it should not be an isolated occurrence, but rather a continuous process.