Mahua Roti
- Dried mahua flowers
- Millet flour (or wheat flour, if available)
- Water
- Salt (optional)
- Shorea robusta leaves (optional, for traditional preparation)
PREPARATION
- Drying and Grinding: Sun-dry the mahua flowers, then grind them into a coarse powder.
- Mixing: Combine the ground mahua flower powder with millet flour and water. Add a pinch of salt if desired. Knead the mixture into a smooth dough.
- Shaping the flatbreads: Take small portions of the dough and flatten them between Shorea robusta leaves, pressing gently to form leaf-shaped flatbreads.
- Cooking: Heat a hot pan or a traditional mud cooking surface. Place the flattened dough on the hot surface and cook for about 15 minutes, or until both sides turn golden brown.
Mahua Trees and Their Importance
Mahua trees (Madhuca longifolia) hold immense significance for Adivasi communities in India, both culturally and economically. Mahua flowers are a vital food source, especially during times of food scarcity, as they are dried and stored for later use in dishes like flatbreads and porridge. In addition, the flowers are fermented to produce alcohol, which holds both ritual and trade value. Mahua seeds are also used to produce oil, which is utilized for cooking and skincare. Every part of the tree — from the flowers to the seeds and even the bark — plays a crucial role in the economic sustenance of local Adivasi communities, who sell mahua products in local markets. Gathering mahua flowers is not only a means of survival but also an opportunity for family reunions and strengthening social bonds during the harvest season.
Mahuwa tree is considered sacred in many parts of India, and it is often worshiped by the locals. The tree is associated with various Hindu deities, and it is believed to have spiritual and medicinal properties.
Adivasi girls’ song in the village of Farsegarh:
Oh mahua tree,
Oh mahua tree
How beautiful you are,
Oh! mahua tree
The mahua flowers are falling
Red, red flowers
Like a red shower of rain
Oh mahua tree,
Oh mahua tree
How beautiful you are,
Oh! mahua tree.
— People’s Archive of Rural India
Adivasi refers to the original inhabitants of India, encompassing a variety of ethnic groups primarily residing in hilly and forested rural areas. Before the arrival of external forces, the Adivasi lived in harmony with nature, hunting, foraging wild plants, and cultivating land without claiming ownership over it. Their way of life was drastically altered as new settlers and corporations encroached upon their land, sparking an era of violence and exploitation.
Corporate activities such as deforestation, mining, and infrastructure projects have severely impacted Adivasi communities, displacing them and destroying their traditional sources of food. The forests, once rich with wild plants and game that sustained their diets, have been cleared for logging and agriculture. This deforestation has robbed Adivasi of crucial resources like wild tubers, leaves, and flowers, such as mahua, a vital source of nutrition and economic survival. As their lands are turned into plantations or mining areas, Adivasi lose not only their homes but also their ability to gather essential foods, which they have depended on for generations. The result is widespread chronic malnutrition. Deprived of their forests, many Adivasi are forced to migrate or work in exploitative conditions, becoming invisible both socially and physically. Over generations, their bodies have become smaller due to prolonged undernourishment. Nearly half of India’s Adivasi population lives below the poverty line, which in India often equates to life on the brink of starvation.
The hunger faced by Adivasi, exacerbated by corporate actions, is not just a result of land loss but a violation of their right to self-sufficiency and their traditional practices, which have sustained them for centuries.
Photo: https://keystone-foundation.org/traditional-food-mela-in-chiro-nawa-toli-jharkhand/
