A Fruitful Journey

A food safari in the desert of Rajasthan reveals a variety difficult to imagine in cities.

- Vibha Varshney

THE TERRAIN is just what we expected: harsh. Sandy soil covers the rocky earth as far as the eye can see. The road that takes us to the interiors of Kolayat tehsil in Bikaner district is flanked by kikar trees (Prosopis julifera) and aak bushes (Calotropis procera). This does not sit well with our story. We are in Rajasthan to find out about the traditional food or desi khana of the region. In the three-day trip, we hope to find out how people, who have occupied the area for centuries, have devised innovative ways to find food in this harsh environment. But kikar is an invasive tree that even goats do not consume and aak is known more as medicine than food.

We enter Godaro ki Dhani in Bhelu village, some 90 km from Bikaner, with some trepidation. Godaro ki Dhani, spread over 80 hectares (ha), is owned by four brothers. One of the brothers, Babu Ram, greets us from a chair where he is busy peeling a small, striated fruit. He is surrounded by charpais (cots) that are covered with the peeled fruit.

The sour fruit, which he calls kaachar (Cucumis melo variety callosus), belongs to the melon family. It is used in place of amchoor (dried mango) in the region. Babu Ram sells the dried fruit to traders who powder it and sell it in cities. The powder is called kachri. On our request, he takes us to the fields where the wild kaachar vines grow. We are accompanied by two young family members, Shaitan and Moti. Babu Ram tells us that the plant easily grows in the field as each fruit of kaachar has hundreds of seeds that grow profusely in the next season. This means that just a few fruits are enough for a crop for the next year.