“A PINCH THAT CREATES MAGIC”, FLAVORED SALTS OF KUMAUN

“A journey of empowering women”.

 

Visiting the Himalayan region of Kumaun , one not only gets connected to the pristine beauty and mystical nature but also  with the people and their food habits . Situated in the Shivalik range of Uttarakhand , the region is a well known destination  for producing special salts   reviving its  traditional culinary art .

Catching hold on to the taste of the millennials, flavoured salts of Kumaun has made its place in every household.

 

 Pisi loon (grounded salt) a variety of colourful, flavoured salt,  is an old aged tradition of Uttarakhand . Literally translating to ‘ground salt’, this ‘ pahadi namak’ is made by combining rock salt and fresh herbs and spices in a sil-batta,( grounding stone)infusing  the condiment with  an aroma and unique combination of colours and flavours.

 During severe cold, harvests are often less and vegetables are in scant supply. In these hard times, the only food for the locals is to eat rotis’ and ‘parathas’ by sprinkling some of the flavoured salt on top.

The making of this flavoured salt talks about the hard work of the women folk of Kumaun . ‘Earlier these ladies had no source of income; they had to rely on their milch cows, and their fields. ‘Our fields gave us very less to eat; we had no money to feel in hand, says Kunti, a mother of two. Now, ‘we are becoming self reliant and are empowering others too.’

 

 

 Places like Garam Pani and Kakrighat on Highway No. 109   in Kumaon region have turned as major entrepreneur joints.  They are the best outlets for the tourist thronging during summers and winter seasons.

 Deepa Khanayat of   Kakrighat  Nainital established her small venture Himalayan Flavored Salts  on 12 th December2012 with a group of six ladies , the lady who  has earned a great fame and holds a great respect in the vicinity igniting the fire  to succeed  among many.

 Uma Tiwari and Hema Negi of Garam Pani have their own self help groups preparing salt .  ‘We don’t have to run all the time for raw material, it is within our reach, says one.’

 ‘Long queues for salts at these places makes me jealous’, says a shopkeeper nearby.

 “Women in nearby villages have started growing mint, coriander, ginger, garlic, sesame seeds, bhang seeds and bhangeera spice to keep up with the  demand. “We directly buy the produce from the farmers so that they save on the transport cost,” quips an entrepreneur .

Rakesh Joshi and his wife Kiran run a self-help group that prepares 10 varieties of flavoured salt in  Haldwani a city in the foothills and its adjacent areas,   They have  exhibited their products at fairs and  have received good responses from people .

‘Hara namak, a mixture of green coriander, mint and garlic, is the fastest selling one,” says   an upcoming entrepreneur’.

‘Today, these twenty four varieties are increasingly popular not  only just up in the hills, and in major metro cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Pune but  also   among the Indians  residing abroad.  The market has a made a good recognition with a good turnover.

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