#71 — Gud Jaggery, Muringakaya’s Migration, Schezwan Dosas, And More
Hello,
🥳It’s our birthday week — and it’s been FOUR years since we started making this newsletter.
What started out as a small email to friends and family with five curated stories a week (we hardly recognize those newsletters) has evolved into so much more.
While the newsletter has been our ignition, we’ve never been just a newsletter.
We’ve dabbled in various projects and experiences to learn and participate more in our food system, since then evolved the idea of Edible Issues. Curiosity and collaboration have always been our constants.
We’ll always be learning and we’re always trying to do better. If there’s a way you would like to participate or feedback/suggestions for us, do write to us.
Thanks again for your participation and support.
We can’t wait to hear from you!
Stay Curious,
Elizabeth & Anusha
“Without rest, the trees would eventually die,” says Bera.
In West Bengal, Date Palm Jaggery Is a Winter Delicacy. It’s Also in Danger of Extinction.
Eater
“While there is no satisfactory study or data available on the depletion of date palm trees, the experience of longtime shuli illustrates the magnitude of the problem. When Mistry, the shuli in Nimpith, began working around 45 years ago, he would tap at least 48 to 50 trees a day. Today, he taps 12.” writes Tania Banerjee.
The perils and promise of bean-to-bar chocolate
Vittles
“The phrase ‘bean to bar’ subtly shifts the focus to manufacturing that happens ‘in-house’ — like sorting and grinding — rather than the agricultural work of cacao production, such as harvesting, fermenting, and drying.”
👩🌾On the field💰
The Who and Where of Farm-Level Crop Diversity in Bihar
The finding that households selling higher-value produce along with a small portion of cereals tend to have more crops in the rabi season is not surprising: since growing cereals is so ubiquitous in the area, growing market crops will almost always be an additional crop, not a replacement for cereals. However, this finding does reinforce the logic, often seen in agricultural development projects, that connecting farms to markets will increase diversity.
Explained: Reining in the subsidy bill
Simply put, the post-Covid crisis led the Centre to not only distribute but also procure, unprecedented quantities of grain. The PDS — more so, the 5 kg of free grain per person per month given under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), apart from the regular 5 kg quota of wheat or rice at Rs 2 and Rs 3/kg, respectively — became the government’s preeminent social safety net programme, both during and after the lockdown.
Modi govt slashes food & fertilizer subsidies, pushes agriculture’s allied sectors in Budget
“The introduction of drones in agriculture nutrient spraying will undoubtedly provide a boost to the agriculture input industry. Spraying by drones will help save on water while increasing the uniformity and efficacy of crop protection and nutrition products,” Rajesh Aggarwal, managing director, Insecticide India Ltd, told ThePrint.
TCI to Host Webinar on Climate Change and Agriculture
Can India achieve zero hunger while significantly lowering the greenhouse gas emissions associated with its agricultural sector? The Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) at Cornell University will host a webinar with leading experts to tackle this question and understand the significant challenges in achieving a zero-hunger, zero-carbon agricultural system in India.
Register Here
🌱In other news 🐜
🔬Food major Cargill opens its first Innovation Centre in India
Hindu BusinessLine
🍔What’s driving the burger boom in India?
Mint Lounge
🤑The Indian food and drink brands that wowed judges on Shark Tank India
Conde Nast Traveller
📦Dine-ins vs cloud kitchens and takeaways: How pandemic has changed the way we eat
Indian Express
👨🌾Hyderabad-Based Our Food Raises $6 Mn To Increase Crop Portfolio
Inc 42
🥩Waiter, there’s a pea in my steak: Veg proteins make food market sizzle
Times of India
🤖Food Waste Startup Uses AI And Blockchain To Fight Food Waste
Outlook India
🍜Yu and its instant food gambit
Forbes India
OXFORD SYMPOSIUM ON FOOD AND COOKERY
THE YOUNG CHEFS GRANT:
These Grants are a wonderful opportunity for chefs to attend and participate in the 2022 symposium — Portable Food
Past recipients from India are Gaurish Shyam (2021), Karan Upmanyu (2018), Girish Nayak (2017), & Elizabeth Yorke (2015)
The last date to apply is March 1st
We end our Edible Oil exploration with a whole lot of resources and more questions than ever before!
As independent creators, a lot of our time, love, and effort goes into making Edible Issues come to life. If you like our work, support us by buying us a coffee! Or a bisi bisi dose 🤤 Just click on the image to find more!
Read the RBI’s report on Indian Agriculture’s achievements and challenges through the last year.
Food, Culture, and History
Moringa has traveled well beyond the Indian subcontinent and forged a new identity, finding its way into new recipes and uses. Rekha Warrier finds that in the era of climate change, as plants and people find themselves moving and putting down roots along new frontiers, hybrid cultures and cuisines emerge.
Love, Friendship & Muringakaya: A Story of Migration
Goya Journal
All opinions on food can be safely ignored. Eat what you enjoy and don’t hate on other people’s tastes — be it Schezwan ‘dosas’ or Maggi burgers
Why Amma’s sambar is the best: How flavours are linked to memories
Mint Lounge
Tamarind: As essential to the country’s pantry as salt.
From Chutney to Curries, This Beguiling Fruit Has Enlivened Indian Dishes For Millennia
Saveur
Tales of goat milk gastronomy
Pastoral Times
The halwais have received positive responses and the future looks bright. Kodhabhai also aims to set up a Sangathan (an organization) of herders to meet the demand from sweet shops, restaurants or caterers in future and grow this into a thriving business.
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