For a taste of Chhattisgarh
The Hindu
Gulgul bhajiya to farre — two top chefs and a food historian sample the local cuisine in their mission to showcase the best to the world
Last week, as the rest of the world carved netherworld faces on pumpkins for Halloween, chefs Manish Mehrotra, Prateek Sadhu and I (in my capacity as a food historian) found ourselves in another world, quite off the map.
Vishrampur is a dusty little village in the Kanker district of Bastar in Chhattisgarh. Tourists — even the few who do visit the state — rarely come here, preferring instead the region’s mighty waterfalls, the deep quiet of its emerald forests, and the colour and pageantry of its tribal culture. The chefs and I, however, are on a voyage of another kind — to discover the region’s ingredients and cuisine, on a state-sponsored visit that eventually aims to promote gastronomic tourism in the region.
By the time we drive in at noon, Vishrampur (literally ‘a place of rest’) is belying its name; it is caught up in the bustle of its weekly haat (market). Villagers from the interiors are here with whatever they have grown, caught or made, seeking to make some Diwali profit. There are beautifully glazed clay diyas (earthen lamps), 12 for ₹200, which may command 10 times the price in the metros, thick metal work anklets, dhokra art and colourful cloth bags and sheets. And then there are the giant pumpkins.
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