‘Sattu’, a functional food rooted in tradition

You cannot scroll on Instagram without coming across a few high-protein sattu recipes.

- NANDITA IYER

For all the people who fear or dislike whey protein, sattu is marketed as the desi protein powder. And nothing works better for boosting your views than pushing away a "Western" import and showing an Indian ingredient in its place.

While trying to understand sattu better, I came across this fascinating 1971 book Heat Stress and Culture in North India by Jack Planalp. Examining this topic from a historical lens, it explores the adaptations of the north Indian population to the climate, by way of housing, clothing, technology, daily regimen and diet. Browsing a book on climate adaptation written in 1971 in the year 2025 when climate change is bringing fierce summer days to Bengaluru in February is an eye-opener.

In his book, Planalp has done in-depth research on sattu, calling it an institution in north India, especially in much of the Bhojpuri-speaking region. It is enshrined in the observance of the Satuani festival. Few ingredients get the honour of their own festival, but in Bihar and Jharkhand, sattu does. Satuani, or Sattu Sankranti, marks the arrival of summer with the sweet nuttiness of sattu and the tang of raw mangoes. Celebrated on Mesha Sankranti, sattu is offered to the gods in earthen pots alongside water and mango pickle.