Dabhda Saad hails from the hilly eastern central tribal belt of Gujarat. A very delicate paddy that easily sheds its cover even with a gentle rub between the palms, Dabhda is an easy-to-grow crop. The Adivasi communities living at the foot hills of Gujarat’s Panchmahals, Mahisagar, and Chota Udaipur have been growing this rice for generations and continue to do so because it has stood its ground even in the erratic climatic conditions.
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Description
CULTURAL & ECOLOGICAL LIFE OF THIS RICE
The Adivasi-inhabited regions are the last bastions of heritage grains. After the green revolution, even as the emphasis on growing high-yielding varieties of grains grew, the Adivasi farmers made a conscious choice to continue growing native rice/grains for their consumption. Dabhda is one of those surviving varieties widely grown by the farmers for their consumption and cattle fodder (cattle love Dabhda straw).
A crop with a 90 – 100 day growing cycle, Dabhda rice is delicate and prone to breakage while milling. However, if allowed to age for a year, the grains grow resilient and don’t break easily. The Dabhda paddy is golden, while the short-grained, mildly aromatic rice comes out pale white and pink speckled when hand-pounded.
NUTRITIONAL AND MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
- We have no information about the nutritional and medical properties of this rice at this time.
CULINARY USES
The communities growing Dabhda rice recommend, ‘Dabhda is a delicious rice that tastes best with milk, not dal. ‘It needs very little water to cook; even a little extra water turns the rice mushy. It is so easy to digest that even a 7-8-month-old child can be fed Dabdha. Its easy digestibility makes it a favourite for children and elder folks.
WHO GROWS THIS RICE & WHERE CAN I BUY?
- Aranya India [an Agroecology-based producer company formed by small and marginal tribal farmers in the Aravalli forests of eastern Gujarat]
Additional information
| Region of Origin | West |
|---|---|
| Grain Shape | medium |
| Grain Colour | Pinkish |
| Fragrance | Light aroma |
