This is how food is cooked and served in the tribal settlements

The tribal cuisine stands out for its unique flavours and the ways in which they are cooked and served. Usually, the women cook and serve food for the family. However, on special occasions or festival days, the food cooked by women is served by men, in the Kuruma community.

Food is served on millet leaves. The moopan or the head of the tribe would be seated on a wooden plank and food is handed over to him. Meanwhile, the others eat from plates, sitting around the moopan. Food is served on plates or leaves before the people sit down to eat.

On special occasions, the moopan would have his food, sitting on the verandah of the daivapura (shrine). Salt and chillies would be crushed using fingers and mixed with rice. Rice would be served on the centre of the leaf accompanied by dishes called kula curry and poothi curry. Meat dishes are served only on the left side of the rice. The kuruma tribes use a special vessel called ‘manthalam’ to cook and serve food.

Kula curry: This delicious dish is made with pumpkin and raw plantains. Grated coconut, dried chilies, turmeric powder, cumin and salt are ground into a fine paste and added into the curry.

Poothi curry: This dish is prepared by cooking finely chopped long beans and ash gourd with some salt. Jackfruit seed too is added to make the curry thicker.