Husain Khan, T., Cameron, D. and Lambert-Hurley, S. orcid.org/0000-0003-2274-736X (2025) Resurrecting tilak chandan: the fall and future rise of local rice varieties in North India. Gastronomica: The Journal for Food Studies, 25 (1). ISSN 1529-3262
Abstract
Khichdi is a simple dish prepared in the north Indian city of Rampur in the Rohilkhand region of Uttar Pradesh by cooking rice with urad dal and spices. With historical and cultural significance, it remains staple to the winter diet of all social strata. Since the 1980s, however, the rice variety previously used, tilak chandan, has experienced near-extinction in the face of growing dependence on hybrid varieties. The disappearance of this local rice reflects broader trends in agro-biodiversity associated with the Green Revolution compounded by global climate change. This paper explores these eco-cultural tensions by charting the efforts of an interdisciplinary and international collaboration bringing together historians, plant scientists and farmers to resurrect tilak chandan and other traditional varieties in the Rampur rice belt. Field trials at Benazir Farm in Rampur (2020-22) revealed the challenges of cultivating local heritage varieties, including: (i) recovery of seeds; (ii) longer growing cycles, meaning higher exposure to pests and fungal infections; (iii) height and uneven growth, making plants prone to lodging when hit by weather vagaries compounded by climate change; (iv) very low outputs resulting in high prices. Still, there remains high demand for tilak chandan and other traditional varieties due to their distinct sensory attributes of taste, texture and aroma linked to cultural and gastronomic heritage. To make these landraces more available and reliable in India’s current soil and climate conditions, we suggest incorporating their preferential characteristics into a form that is also high-yielding, drought tolerant and pest resistant.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024 The Authors. Except as otherwise noted, this author-accepted version of a journal article published in Gastronomica is made available via the University of Sheffield Research Publications and Copyright Policy under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (Sheffield) > School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number ARTS AND HUMANITIES RESEARCH COUNCIL AH/T004401/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 20 Nov 2024 10:15 |
Last Modified: | 17 Mar 2025 13:00 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | University of California Press |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1525/gfc.2025.25.1.24 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:219563 |