The wild foods of Maharashtra
shevala (dragon stalk yam) a wild stalk is made into a meaty, spicy curry and phodshi (safed mulshi), a wild grass, cooked with coarsely ground chana dal into a delectable sabzi. Both dishes are family favourites, the recipes for which are culinary heirlooms, passed down through generations. “We wait the whole year for these vegetables to show up in the market.
Sadly, only one tribal woman sells them and that too in very small quantity. You have to reach early in the morning to stake claim to them," says Meghna Patil, 64. Shevala and phodshi are not the only wild vegetables that make a discreet entry into the Mumbai markets during monsoon.
“Around Shravan, we get inflorescence and fruits, and post monsoon, there are pods like kharshinga and tetu," explains Shailesh Awate, co-founder of OOO Farms, an agro-enterprise that works in tribal areas of Maharashtra to revive indigenous foods. His favourites are the midly bitter kharshinga pods brined and stir fried into a delicious side dish. Kurdu (silver cock’s comb) is another wild vegetable that makes its appearance this time of the year.
“The Thakkar tribal community makes delicious bhajiyas (fritters) using the leaves that are high in calcium. A simple stir-fry with green mahua fruits is another monsoon delicacy served with ghavne (unfermented dosa)," says Gaurang Motta, co-founder of Monks Bouffe. The company is known to conduct foraging experience in the forests of Deopada, just two hours from Mumbai.
Chef Thomas Zacharias whose first encounter with shevala was a misadventure went on to experiment with other such foods and launch the Wild Food Project to study the wild bounty of Maharashtra. “Many tribal communities still rely heavily on forest produce. Sadly many of
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