This Holi, try out a Bhang ki Chutney from the Dev Bhoomi, Uttarakhand.
Bhang Ki Chutney is a very famous delicacy in the Kumaon region made from Hemp seeds and is a popular product by Kumaoni Foodlore.
KumaoniFoodlore is a social enterprise founded by the mother-daughter duo, Seema and Shruti Sharma. It aims to enhance everyone’s knowledge about the Kumaoni cuisine, culture, its people and their ways of being. At the same time, they deliver handcrafted condiments from a traditional kitchen on to your table to spice and add zing to your food. It is one of the few brands delivering authentic flavours of Kumaon.
Telling us about the Bhang Chutney, Shruti explains, “This chutney is served with almost every food and will be found in every traditional Kumaoni households as well. We make this with Hemp seeds which is procured from Uttarakhand, and it doesn’t have any psychoactive properties like the leaves of this plant. In-fact Hemp seeds are very nutritious and are considered as superfoods. The chutney has a nutty flavour to it which can be paired with literally any Indian snacks or lunch. This is a must try chutney for everyone who wants to try something different yet delicious.”
Kumaoni Foodlore predominantly uses locally sourced herbs and spices to create best mix of traditional recipes; all while keeping it 100% Natural, Chemical and Preservative free. Pisyun Loon (flavoured Himalayan salts) is another unique delicacy of the region.
Food from the land of the Gods, Dev Bhoomi
Shruti elucidates on the vision and inspiration behind setting up Kumaoni Foodlore, “Uttarakhand is well-known for pilgrimage and picturesque valleys, but most of us are unaware about what the local people eat! So, for the love of Uttarakhand, and with the aim to spread awareness about the state’s cuisine and to prevent it from getting wiped-out, Kumaoni Foodlore was born. We curate a wide range of condiments without which every meal is incomplete. These condiments are 100% natural and are curated in traditional Kumaoni way. We want more people to know about the Kumaoni cuisine which is still unexplored as people tend to go to the mainstream touristy spots and indulge in regular or commercial food, thus losing out on trying the authentic flavours of Kumaon.”
The Sharmas belong to the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. Shruti recalls, “Since childhood I have been eating delicious traditional Kumaoni food that my mother cooks, which normally is not available anywhere, except in Kumaoni households. This lockdown gave me an opportunity to understand the importance of salts, condiments and different chutneys which are regularly used in Kumaoni food. The recipes of Kumaoni cuisine is not documented, but is passed on from one generation to another, mothers pass on the secret to daughters. It’s like folklores describing the tradition and culture of a particular community or region. That’s exactly the intention of this social enterprise – to pass on the kitchen secrets and tales of Kumaoni kitchens and make people aware of the region through its cuisine, which otherwise is not known to people in India.”
The name Kumaoni FoodLore is amalgamation of the region of this thought. Seema says, “It pains me to see tourists and travellers eat Maggi noodles and fried rice all over the hills and do not learn anything about the place that they visit, besides seeing Nature in its full glory in the hills of Kumaon. I believe it is the people, food, attire and language that makes a place what it is and it is important this is showcased to the world.”
Flavours of the Hills
Kumaoni FoodLore is a very recently born baby and the Sharmas soon realised that reaching out to people and making them eat or use these products with their meals is the biggest challenge.
Shruti shares, “Another challenge was to source the locally produced ingredients from the markets of Kumaon. There is not much awareness of this cuisine or the numerous of ways these products can aid and enrich any kitchen and or add that missing zing to the salads or any food that you want to club it with. Then there are demand and supply challenges which every new product, idea or concept faces. We are working to resolve all of these and make these products widely available on store shelves and also on online markets.”
Given the climatic conditions and restrictions of cultivation, Kumaoni food is very simple, yet nutritious and high in protein, rich in minerals and flavours of the hills, to suit the occupations and the hard weather of the Himalayas.
The recipes and few pulses and many other herbs are not very widely known or used outside of home kitchens of Kumaon.
Seema adds, “The commercial aspects of business has failed to make this rich, nutritious and unique cuisine reach people. Food is a very delicate and nuanced subject, a little addition or change in preparation can alter the taste, texture and flavour of the food. These unknown recipes, condiments and flavours is what we want people to know about and identify as Kumaoni way of making food, just as we have Punjabi, South Indian or Gujarati food.”
A Hemp twist
The brand uses a mixture of unusual herbs, fruits and flowers that are locally cultivated like Hemp seeds, Mustard, Buransh flowers etc. “In fact, mustard oil is the base of many recipes and gives every dish a delicious twist and Bhaang (Hemp seeds) is commonly used in the form of chutneys. This is what makes it unique because I don’t know if other parts of our country would be open to adopting this particular ingredient for their chutneys!” points out Shruti.
Kumaoni cuisine uses all the locally cultivated fruits, herbs, pulses as well as flowers and creates dishes which are very unique in taste and texture as well.
The response to the products has been really great as ‘Kumaoni condiments’ is a totally new concept and people haven’t really tried any of it. Seema informs, “Surprisingly customers are open to trying these new chutneys as well as our flavoured Himalayan salts because it is unusual and nothing like this is available in the market. We had got some great reviews during our sampling stage as well. People have always loved going to the hills for vacations but now that we are delivering the authentic taste of the state to our customer’s doorstep, they are not only excited to discover these new flavours but also have given us an exemplary response.”
Kumaoni Foodlore is based out of Mumbai but the raw materials are procured from Uttarakhand itself to give each and every product its authentic taste.
The Pahadi road
Shruti explains, “We plan to have a small kitchen in Uttarakhand in the near future and employ the local women which will also make them financially independent and at the same time it will be easier for us to source the seasonal raw materials and then transport our products to the other states.”
The brand has not yet started international deliveries. It is focusing on selling the products in India itself at the moment and popularising it within the country before exploring international territories.
As for the future, Shruti says, “We want to be present on more E-commerce platforms and also in super markets so that our products are easily available to the masses. In the long-term, apart from condiments we want to include few more categories while sticking purely to the authentic flavours of the state. And we would love to give back to the society and the Pahadi community in some form. Like a speciality pop-up restaurant serving Kumaoni cuisine and its culture, so that people can have a real taste of this Dev Bhoomi.”
