Traditional foods and wild edible plants of Spiti valley, Indian Trans Himalaya

Abstract

Traditional foods comprise unique recipes made from natural resources that are important for human survival and have cultural, social, and ecological importance. They are largely guided by geographical location and the prevalent environmental conditions in an area. We, therefore, documented the traditional foods prepared by the Spitians- the resident community of Spiti, a remote, isolated, cold arid region of the Himalaya. A semi-structured open-ended questionnaire was used for the same (n=72 respondents) along with onsite participant observations. It was revealed that the residents prepared foods based on cereals (n=22), wild edible plants (WEP) (n=37), meat (n=5), and dairy products (n=2). Roasted barley, locally known as sattu was the predominant ingredient in most food products (13 recipes). It was a rich source of carbohydrates (80.41 g 100 g-1), specifically dietary fiber (17.3 g 100 g-1). Naturally fermented food Churpe from cow or yak milk was another predominant food of the region with high protein content (56.67 g 100 g-1). Among the WEP, the majority belonged to the Polygonaceae and Brassicacceae (05 each) family. The WEPs consumed by the local population have been reported to mitigate high-altitude stress such as exposure to intensive radiation levels (UV rays) and hypobaric hypoxia. Thus, the traditional foods consumed by the Spitians have nutritional as well as health implications for them and the society at large.