A Traditional Condiment-chhapra Chutney

 

India is home to countless number of chutneys to be consumed with different savouries in different regions. We have coconut chutney for Dosas, red sweet and sour chutney for Samosas, Pakoras, Aloo chaat and dahi wada, green chutney for chillas, paneer tikka and Pappad. Actually they can be consumed with anything depending on one’s choice.

However, there is one condiment - Red-ant chutney made from red weaver ants and their eggs. It’s a traditional food in the tribal communities of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and west Bengal, it is also known as Kai chutney, Hao Rit, Chapura, Chapda chutney or Chhapra chutney.

This chutney is semi solid and has a pungent and sour taste. It is a good source of protein, calcium, zinc, vitamin B-12, iron, magnesium and potassium. It is believed to have medicinal and nutritional properties. The chutney is believed to help develop a healthy brain and nervous system. It is said to help manage conditions like depression, fatigue and memory loss. Helps with bone and eye health.

Madia tribe people are believed to have this chutney as it has a wonderful tangy flavour. This chutney can be added to a range of dishes including fish, vegetable curry, ambadi (a green leafy vegetable) and many more. It has a high folic acid content and therefore it tastes very hot

The ants and their eggs are collected from the nests. They are cleaned. Salt, ginger, garlic and chilies are added and ground together. Similipal Kai chutney is made by the tribal people of Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. One kilogram of live Kai pimpudi costs around Rs.400-600 and the chutney cost up to Rs. 1,000/-

Normally ants can contaminate food, cause structural damage and deliver painful stings but there are other countries besides India who also consume ants in various forms. In china during the cold weather, Chinese have ant soup to keep themselves warm.

In Brazil, the fat-ass ants are collected in the Santander region. They are fried with spices and considered as a delicacy. Some however, prefer to eat ant eggs. Due to deforestation, pesticides and over collection, it has become hard to get these delicious products called Caviar.  Queen Ants live long lives and multiply to millions of ants in their lifetime. Humans are more likely to poison or disturb a nest disturbing the chambers and the queen ant is killed.

On January 2, 2024 red ant chutney was awarded a geographical indication (GI) tag recognizing its distinct regional origin.