Spitians, Nittians and Dzonguans Steal Limelight at Doon’s Himalayan Food Festival on Day 1. THYME Launched.
DEHRADUN: Indigenous seeds, ancient farming wisdom, and rich mountain culinary traditions took centre stage at THAUR–The Doon Haat in Miyawala on Saturday as the two-day Himalayan Food and Seed Festival opened to widespread enthusiasm.
Communities from the high-altitude valleys of Spiti, Niti, and Dzongu emerged as the star attraction, drawing farmers, researchers, and food enthusiasts from far and wide.
Organised by the Integrated Mountain Initiative under an agroecology project backed by the National Mission on Himalayan Studies, the event showcased over one thousand varieties of traditional cereals, pulses, and vegetables.
Culinary and agricultural traditions from Uttarakhand’s Niti valley, Himachal Pradesh’s Spiti valley, and Sikkim’s Dzongu valley formed the core focus of the exhibition. Major attractions included rare seed exchanges featuring naked barley, buckwheat, red rice, and traditional pulses, alongside local teas, sattu, sea buckthorn goods, and sheep-wool garments.
The festival also marked the debut of THYME, which stands for Trans-Himalayan Mountain Agro-Ecology, a dedicated brand designed to give traditional mountain produce a distinct market identity and broader consumer reach.
Former Uttarakhand chief secretary N S Napalchyal attended as chief guest and emphasised that recognising Himalayan foods can boost local economies and improve community nutrition, suggesting a compiled book to document the region's nutritional diversity.
SBS University Vice-Chancellor J Kumar paid tribute to traditional knowledge systems and pioneers like Beej Bachao Andolan activist Vijay Jardhari for championing the barahnaja mixed-cropping system.
Nutrition expert Dr Pushpika Vajjan underscored the health benefits of millets, amaranth, and barley, while former HNB Garhwal University Vice-Chancellor A N Purohit advocated for cluster-based farming to overcome the hurdles of scattered landholdings.
The festival continues on Sunday, featuring a traditional cooking masterclass where expert chefs from Spiti, Niti, and Dzongu will demonstrate ancestral culinary techniques, alongside sessions on holistic nutrition, meditation, and a concluding community recognition ceremony.
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