| More
Information |
|
|
|
|
| Title |
Recipe Contests : Rewarding Culinary Creativity |
|
|
| Details |
The recipe contest was organized on Dec 9, 2005 at the IIM A campus. The recipes were supposed to encourage the use of the lesser known and consumed food grains and minor millets such as kui (Carvia callosa ), kodri (Paspalum scrobiculatum), banti, bavto (Eleusine coracana) and kang (Setaria italica). The purpose was to help the revival of traditional, diverse food and create awareness about the nutritional benefits of minor millets and uncultivated plants. We believe that the housewives who use these recipes have played a major role in the conservation of the grains and vegetables involved in the recipes, and need to be recognized and rewarded.
The entries were judged by Ms. Ambarben Trivedi (HoD of Health and Nutrition, NC Bodiwala College), Mr. B.B.S. Chauhan (Chief Chef, Hotel Inder Residency), Ms. Smithaben Dave (Lecturer, SLU Women’s College) and Ms. Kavitaben Phatak (winner of the recipe contest for the last two years). The recipes were judged based on the taste, nutritional value, method of cooking, knowledge about medicinal use and presentation.
One hundred and eighty two people submitted 334 entries by post. Of these, 65 people were present at the venue on the allotted day and between them prepared 140 traditional dishes. A leading Gujarati daily helped us mobilize participants for the contest.
Through the competition, we were able to document the use of 59 crops of which 18 were grains and 41 were vegetables. The most commonly used grains were makkai (Zea mays) (69), jowar (Sorgham vulgare) (67) and kodri (Paspalum scrobiculatum) (63). The least common grains were Kali (Oryza sativa), Jov (Hordeum vulgare) and Moth(Vigna aconitifolia) , each of which were used once. Among the vegetables, the most commonly used were tamarind flower (Tamarindus indica) used ten times, followed by Methi (Trigonella foenum-graecum) used seven times, and sargavo (Moringa oleifera) and palak (Spinacea oleracea) used five times each. The least common vegetables were padma (Nelumbo nucifera), Apple (Pyrus malus) , Gulab na ful (Rosa damascus) , Punrnava na pan (Boerhaivia diffusa), used once each.
The first prize was bagged by Hema Mehta from Ahmedabad, who prepared a nutritious pancake using kodri. The recipe was aesthetically presented and involved the use of very little oil. The second prize went to Ekta Parikh, also from Ahmedabad who prepared a special katli using 35 medicinal plants and the third prize went to Sheetal Shah, from Baroda, who made kodri ki tikiya. Ms. Sheetal Shah remarked that when she had first read about the contest in the paper, she thought there must have been a misprint, because she could not believe that the minor millets and uncultivated grains could be used in the recipes. She then consulted her mother and learnt about the uses of these grains and the recipe which won her the prize. |
|
|
| Volume No. |
Honey Bee, 16(4):9, 2005 |
