Sambalpur's legacy shop wants GI tag for 'Sarsatia'

A 160-year-old sweet shop in this western Odisha town is seeking geographical indication (GI) tag for ‘Sarsatia’, a rare dessert made from ‘ganjer’ tree resin that the owner Prabhu Lal claims is available nowhere else in the country.

- PNN & AGENCIES

Prabhu Lal, 65, known locally as Minchu kaka, represents the third generation running this legacy business established by his grandfather Beni Madhav in 1866. The unique sweet, crafted from ganjer tree resin, raw rice powder and sugar, is fried into odd-shaped vermicelli with a distinctive crispy texture.

“The government should give GI tag for this because you will never find this sweet anywhere except this shop,” Prabhu Lal, who has received eight-nine awards for his traditional craft and has been demanding GI tag recognition for many years, told PTI.