Nilgiris Collector releases book on tribal traditional food

Nilgiris District Collector Lakshmi Bhavya Tanneeru released a coffee table book with photographs highlighting traditional food practices of tribal communities at a function held at the Gudalur Block Development Office on Wednesday.
The book, prepared by the district administration, aims to create awareness among tribal youth about traditional foods and the importance of preserving them for future generations. The Collector distributed copies of the book to members of tribal communities.
Speaking on the occasion, the Collector said that eight tribal communities — Kothar, Kurumbar, Irular, Thodar, Paniyar, Kattunayakkar, Alu Kurumbar and Peta Kurumbar — live in the Nilgiris district, each with their own unique food culture and lifestyle.
She noted that tribal communities largely consume traditional foods such as millets, fruits, tubers and greens, many of which have nutritional and medicinal value.
The initiative aims to document and preserve this knowledge so that future generations continue to follow healthy traditional food practices. District officials and representatives of Light and Life Academy also participated in the event.