Rooting for local flavours

A resurgence in locally grown food with the popularity of farmers’ markets and farm-to-table initiatives and the slow food movement are healthy trends that are catching up, writes Arti Das

These days if you happen to take a drive towards the Karmal Ghat in the southern part of Goa, you will witness some makeshift shacks where local ladies from the villages of Quepem and Canacona taluk sell seasonal produce. The array of local tubers, fresh out of farms and all ready to be sold are the star attraction.

Selling and eating tubers at this time of the year, is quite common in many parts of the country. In Goa also that’s the trend and the variety of such tubers attracts curious customers. There’s even a dedicated seasonal market of sweet potatoes held at the famous Shantadurga Temple at Kavlem, in the month of January or February.

Many times when we refer to tubers or yams, the first image is of sweet potatoes, which are either pink or white. But, if you look closely there are at least 10 varieties of edible tubers found at this time of the year in Goa.

These are sweet potatoes locally known as Kanga, Karando or air potato (Dioscorea bubifera) and the tuber of this plant Katekonga or Asiatic yam (Dioscorea escuienta); Chirko or Guinea Arrowroot (Dioscorea alata)and its aerial root known as chirkul; Dioscorea cayenesis or yellow yam; Kuka or Chinese potato (Plectranthus rotundifolius); Zhirmule (Vigna Vexillata); Mundlyo or Alu tuber (Colocasia esculenta); Madi, tuber of giant taro (AlocasiaMacrorrhizos) and elephant foot yam (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius). Most of these tubers belong to the family of Dioscorea and there are more than 600 varieties in this genus.

Agriculture expert from Goa, Miguel Braganza says, “Dioscorea yams generally produce tubers from the collar region of the stem. They may be as small as the sweet potato or up to 50 kg in weight. They are generally below the ground with the air potato being an exception.” The most commonly found tuber is Kanga. “The best ones are the ones which grow in sandy soil. They grow horizontally and their roots develop in tubes. The pink skin has yellow pulp and is considered more nutritious,” adds Braganza.

The superfood

Tubers as we know are one of the ancient edible vegetables known to mankind. They grow easily and one can store them for months together as they don’t rot easily. It is due to this reason it was considered a famine food. They are also highly versatile as one can cook them in various ways and they are full of nutrients. No wonder that now they are termed as a ‘superfood’.

Goa’s agriculture department has in fact included Katekonga, elephant foot yam, and madi in the superfood category and is planning to promote its cultivation in the state. “Yams and tubers contain starch which is a carbohydrate and hence a good source of energy. But as compared to potatoes, yams have a lower glycemic index as they do not raise the blood sugar levels as rapidly as potato starch,” says Goa-based nutritionist Rohini Diniz.

They also contain modest amounts of vitamin B1 and vitamin C and also provide some fibre. These underground vegetables are always a part of Goan cuisine.

The best way to eat more than one type of tuber is by adding these varieties to the local vegetarian dish Khatkhate, a coconut and lentil-based gravy that has chunks of local and seasonal vegetables. “I absolutely love eating the seasonal tubers and yams, not just for the nutritional value but also for the taste. Some of these are pretty common in the USA and few other varieties are available in the local Asian/Indian shops,” says Neelam Dutta (Kamat Sambary) who lives in USA and manages a page on Facebook, Ranchikood-Goan Kitchen.

She adds, “The aroma and taste of boiled karande, chirko with gavti meet (local salt) make me nostalgic, and bring back fond childhood memories.” When in Goa, she makes it a point to visit the Shantadurga Temple and pick fresh local tubers during the seasonal market. These boiled tubers with salt could be ideal tea-time snacks.

“They are a nutritious evening tea time snack instead of sugary biscuits or other fried and oily snacks. They can also be cut into slices and marinated with chilli powder and salt and shallow fried like potato slices (batata kappa)” suggests Diniz.

Creative with tubers

These humble tubers are not so popular with urban consumers. Many a time people are not aware of how to consume them. But now thanks to social media and awareness to eat local and seasonal vegetables, they are coming into the limelight. Neelam in her Facebook post explains the variety of tubers and shares a few recipes.

“I make kebabs from yams, and grill sweet potatoes and mundlyo slices with rosemary, cayenne pepper, sometimes garlic powder, pepper, and pink salt. And then add a dash of lemon juice. Or I just grill them with olive oil, salt/pepper, with parsley and vinegar dressing. I also made a Bengali mutton curry (jhol) recipe with elephant foot yam instead of mutton. And once also made modaks stuffed with sweet potato mash, coconut, jaggery, and cardamom powder.”

Photographer and YouTuber, Assavri Kulkarni likes to feature and cook with local ingredients in her YouTube videos.

In her recent video, she made local sweet, Nevryos, from sweet potato mash stuffed with pomelo jam. “I cook tubers by making cutlets or just by roasting them. I usually eat them for breakfast with ghee or coconut oil,” says Kulkarni.

She adds, “These tubers benefit our gut bacteria and keep our intestine healthy. They also keep our hormones in balance. So, if you miss out on eating them during the season you are missing out on looking beautiful, I think.”