How Northeast is making an impact at the Saras Food Festival in Delhi

Guwahati: Wonders of the Northeast have been laid bare for the world to savour at the Saras Food Festival being held in New Delhi. The festival is witnessing the participation of 120 women entrepreneurs and self-help groups from 20 states, including the Northeast.

“At the festival, we have food items from all corners of the country. Sticky rice with black chicken curry, black rice ‘kheer’, sticky rice with mushroom curry from Assam, bajra roti, onion kachori from Rajasthan, fish curry from West Bengal, Hyderabadi dum mutton biryani from Telangana, Malabar biryani from Kerala, litti chokha from Bihar, siddu from Himachal Pradesh, jhuner ki kheer from Uttarakhand and makke ki roti saag from Punjab are some of the items on offing”, an official said.

People thronging the festival evinced keen interest to know how different types of cuisines from across the states are being prepared. “They can savour the flavours of delicious ethnic cuisine from 20 states. Delectable dishes from Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Sikkim, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat are among the favourites.”

Assam tea also made a splash in the early days of the festival as visitors made a beeline for stalls to savour the iconic sip.

"The Saras Food Festival has provided employment opportunities to lakhs of rural women, who, in turn, have learnt the finer nuances of marketing skills to sell their wares," a inistry of Rural Development (MoRD) official said.

On Friday, the highly-anticipated festival got under way at the Handicrafts Bhawan at Connaught Place in the heart of the national capital. It was inaugurated by Faggan Singh Kulaste, Union Minister of State for Rural Development, Government of India. 

The 17-day festival is being organised in the national capital by the Union Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) from December 1 to 17.

“It is an initiative of MoRD to empower women on a large scale”, an official said. “About 150 women entrepreneurs and women self-help groups from 20 states with 30 stalls are participating in this event which gives them an opportunity to showcase their skills.”

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