BADAGA FOOD CULTURE
The great god gift to the badagas native place of Nilgiri is each and every inches of entire lands are cultivatable in all the seasons.
Badagas natural organic products are Earagi, Samei – Battha, Achikki, Gothumai Kadugu, Kanjai , Maasu, Papparai, Keerai, Garlic , Tomotto, Avarai ( Beans) , Pumpkin, Tharnapiece , Merrikai etc and English vegetables viz potato, carrot, beatroot , gosu ( cabbage), Oogosu ( cauliflower), etc.,
Badaga dishes are infused with unique taste. Eg. Avarai gaasu udhakka (Beans – potato curry), ootu kudi udhakka ( bamboo shoot curry) , carrot- gaasu udhakka, Soppu – gaasu ( keerai- potato) porial , chandagai , Erigittu, ( Ragi kali). Bennai ettu, Ubittu, Thuppadittu, Thekai ( Coconut ) payasam.
Badaga hatti fruits are Bikkanu, kolakaiannu, Thavittai annu, plums, pichese (peach), ooty apple, blue berry , strawberry etc. Hatti fruits are very rich in proteins, vitamins, minerals. Badaga hatti flowers are kannigitichai , malli, roja, thavittaioo, and etc.,
Badagas hatti plants and flowers are having more medicinal values. Nilgiri hatti water and milk products viz., milk, ghee, butter, milk-sweets are better taste and energy than any other related products in the world.
According to Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Agriculture scientist, now a days we are considering our millets as poor man food, whereas western countries are considering our millets as a valuable healthy products which contains rich quantity of vitamins, proteins, minerals, carbohydrates etc. Many multinational companies are converting millets into easily eatable healthy products, packed in different brand name and doing big businesses in the international market.
At present badagas are totally forgot about their millets because of easy tea plantation and other agriculture related problems. Badagas Flora ( Hatti fruits, flowers and plants ) and Fauna ( Emmai – Buffalo, Dhana – Cow ) are going to be invisible in future.
Traditional badagas foods and millets are begins to vanish. It is a responsibility and duty of present generation of badagas to make some efforts to keep badaga foods and millets alive. Present generations particularly young generations are not even aware of names of badagas millets. Now millets can see only in Aasanur badagas area near sathiyamangalam.
Present situation badagas are indirectly forced to use plains products of rice, brinjal, white sugar etc., instead of badagas traditional healthy food / millet / natural fruits / milk products. Because of this nilgiri – badagas are not healthy like their older generation and becomes the owners of all kinds of diseases viz. Diabetics, cancer, heart disease, joint pains etc.
It is high time to badagas to think of their traditional food culture and try to save and enjoy badagas food products.