Cashing in on the growing fad for exotic tribal cuisines among foodies, quite a few food vendors have been making a quick buck selling “bamboo chicken”, originally a traditional delicacy among some tribes, to tourists flocking to famous tourist spots dotting the tribal belt in the erstwhile Khammam district.

The traditional method of cooking chicken in bamboo stems, an age-old culinary practice among several tribes in the Bhadrachalam Agency, is fast gaining traction from the food vendors operating in the popular tourist destinations along the Godavari in the Agency areas.

The sale of bamboo chicken, which hitherto was confined to popular tourist spots such as Kolluru in V. R. Puram mandal, now part of Andhra Pradesh, spread to several other tribal and plain areas in Telangana.

Some enterprising youths belonging to tribal and non-tribal communities have started dishing out “bamboo chicken” through their makeshift food joints in Bhadrachalam Agency en route to Bogatha waterfalls at Wajedu mandal in Jayashankar Bhoopalapalli district.

The traditional tribal cuisine is known for its distinctive natural flavour and considered healthy too, says M. Nehru, an Adivasi activist. Bamboo implements are of immense help in tapping toddy in tribal pockets, he notes.

Bamboo has been intertwined with the lives and culture of Adivasis since ages. Bamboo shoots still form a part of diet of aboriginal tribes inhabiting forests in the Agency areas of both the Telugu States.

It is a unique experience to savour delicious “bamboo chicken” in the lap of nature, along the riverbed, vouches Ravinder, a tourist from Hyderabad, while winding up his visit to the famous Papikondalu tourist spot in neighbouring A.P. However, tourists need to be careful in choosing the right vendor to relish the original taste of the traditional tribal cuisine, he insists.

An integral part

Bamboo forms an integral part of the lives of Adivasis due to its multifarious utility as an ingredient in tribal diet and a raw material for making artefacts of both utility and decorative value, says S. Subhani, secretary of ASHA, an NGO based in Chintur, Andhra Pradesh.

The scientific method – Silviculture – should be employed vigorously to regenerate bamboo, he suggests, adding that the traditional culinary practices of Adivasis should be preserved for posterity.

It is a unique experience to savour the delicacy in the lap of nature, along the riverbed

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National>Andhra Pradesh / by P. Sridhar / Bhadradri – Kothagudem / December 25th, 2017