Tribals of Chhattisgarh sell Tikhur (Curcuma angustifolia) sweet red ant or Chapda chinti ki chutney, keukand (Costus speciosus) and sarso pickles at Tribal Food Festival in Delhi. The tribals catch the soldier ants, also called red ants, mainly found on trees and eat them along with their eggs, either raw or cooked. The sight of a column of soldier ants can frighten anyone, but for the tribals of Chhattisgarh, these ants indicate a good meal. Tribal elders believe red ants have medicinal qualities. Tribal people, who cannot afford a regular protein diet, often consume adult ants in the form of chutney. For the chutney, ants are mashed up with salt, red chillies and mustard oil, and are eaten with stale rice. Some shops in village markets stock soldier ants, as they are much in demand. Hunting for nests of soldier ants is a favourite pastime for youngsters, who scout dense forests for ants of "good" quality. Soldier ants are small and coppery-brown in colour, especially around the head and body, with a darker abdomen. They come at a variety of sizes within a single nest, ranging from 2 mm to 6 mm. These ants do not have a stinger, but inflict a painful bite, which is aggravated by irritating chemicals (formic acids) that is secreted from their abdomen. The tribals believe that it is a treatment for several common ailments and strengthen their immune system. The poor and backward tribals, who have no access to any medical facilities, fall back on their traditional wisdom and use a particular species of red ants that live on decayed tree trunks. The tribals say these red ants have medicinal value that helps keeps common ailments like cough and cold under control. Eating these also prevents stomach infections. The first of its kind grand “Tribal Food Festival-2015” got a kick start by Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Shri Jual Oram in New Delh. He was accompanied by Shri Mansukhbhai Dhanjibhai Vasava, Hon’ble Minister of State for Tribal Affairs and Shri Karan Bir Singh Sidhu, IAS, Managing Director, TRIFED, New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion the Minister said that the main objective of organizing this unique event is to introduce and create awareness on the varieties of ethnic Tribal Foods to the food lovers of Delhi with a view to providing additional source of income to the tribals. The Minister also interacted with the Tribal Master Cooks who are participating in the food festival with their ethnic traditional delectable cuisines from all over the country. Source : This footage is part of the professionally-shot broadcast stock footage archive of Wilderness Films India Ltd., the largest collection of HD imagery from South Asia. The Wilderness Films India collection comprises of 50, 000+ hours of high quality broadcast imagery, mostly shot on HDCAM / SR 1080i High Definition, Alexa, SR, XDCAM and 4K. Write to us for licensing this footage on a broadcast format, for use in your production! We are happy to be commissioned
