Chapda Chutney: A Bastar’s delicacy

Chapda Chutney: A Bastar’s delicacy

ABHIJAT SHUKLA

RAIPUR

 

Chapda chutney, a food delicacy of Bastar, shot to fame when international celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay included it into his international food menu after he visited the Naxal infested region a couple of years ago.

 

The sour and chirpy sauce made up of giant red ants, having ingredients as green-chilly and locally available spices, finds an important place in the food menu of Bastar tribals.

 

Although the sauce, which is one of much sought-after delicacies, is also an essential part in dining for other neighbouring states, Odisha, and Jharkhand, a sort of geo-tagging has been done by Ramsay recently for the Bastar.

 

A tribal youth, Shyamlal Netam, from village Bahigaon at Kondagaon in Bastar said in local Gondi dialect, ‘Chapda’ means “leaf basket,” a reference to the nests that the ants make weaving the leaves of the Sal tree.

 

About process of preparing it, Netam says we collect the red ants from their nest in trees right after 12 noon when scorching sun force them to hide in shade. The entire short branch of the tree is then taken off and the entire red ant colony in the nest is put in warm water.

 

This lets the ants die and become inactive which is then taken out for making chutney. This nest containing ants as well as their eggs, he said

 

Collecting the insects from local forests is not so easy as each nest is surrounded by protective rings of male ants guarding the egg-laying females. At the slightest sign of danger, the males will attack and sting.

 

As they endure painful bites, the ant collector had to crush the males, add them to their bags, and then move on to the females and their eggs, Netam said.

 

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“To make the chutney, villagers first crush and dry all the ants and eggs, then grind them with a mortar and pestle. Then they’ll add tomatoes, coriander, garlic, ginger, chili, salt, and a bit of sugar to create a smooth, orange paste. Sometimes, they might cook the paste further with oil and chopped onions”, Netam said.

Tribal vendors also sell the chutney at weekly markets ‘Madais’ in small packets of Sal leaves. The ants’ high levels of formic acid, coupled with the added seasonings, make this chutney extremely hot.

Netam further claims that the chutney thus prepared after grinding the ants and mixing with necessary ingredients not only satisfies the taste buds, but is also keep many diseases at bay.

It is also found to be effective in preventing the tribals from cold, cough, flu and other seasonal diseases and is also proved to be a preventive medicine for malaria which is prone in the region, he said.

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