Being in Ooty, Mohanraj has also been able to grow a lot of produce to bolster the farm to fork aspect of his offerings. “Not only do we have a tea paired tasting menu, but we also do food which has tea as one of its elements,” he said. Mohanraj has also introduced a tasting menu which is paired with another famous produce of the region-tea. Todas and Kotas have been subject to intense anthropological, linguistic and genetic. (Others are the Todas, Irulas and Kurumbas ). They are one of the many tribal people indigenous to the region. But he also added Badaga elements to the food, like the avara bean which is similar to rajma, he added. Kotas, also Kothar or Kov by self-designation, are an ethnic group who are indigenous to the Nilgiris mountain range in Tamil Nadu, India. Slowly as the menu developed, Mohanraj also began to take inspiration from the produce of Ooty-well known for high quality vegetables and of course the Ooty potato. Research has meant that the hotel and Mohanraj’s team have also had to extensively reach out to the local communities-the Badaga recipes for instance began with a lady who used to work in the Savoy’s kitchen itself.Įxecutive Chef Arun Mohankumar (fourth from right) with his team at the Savoy, Ooty, an IHCL SeleQtions hotel. “At least some dishes we try and add to give them a truly Ooty flavour,” he said adding that of course in local Badaga weddings, the fare is entirely traditional.
The chef also pushed local Bagada food at the weddings he caters. We have included recipes from the local Anglo-Indian communities as well as Badaga community,” he said. “Our previous menus did not have much when it came to local or hyper local flavours. But, it was not taken and the Badgas were included in the backward community list after Independence, he explained and added that though he took up the issue earlier, nothing happened.Mohanraj and his team of seven chefs have been able to change the stance and substance of the menus on offer at the Savoy’s restaurants. The constitution (scheduled tribe) order, 1950 had its norms for the tribal Badagas to be a scheduled tribe. The 1931 census speaks that the Badagas are primitive and important tribe of the Nilgiris. The 1911 census indicates that the Badagas are Hindu animists speaking tribal mother tongue which is called as “Badugu”.
Arjunan (AIADMK) former Rajya Sabha member, said that the Madras census in 1901 stated that the Badaga community in the Nilgiris district of Tamilnadu is a tribe. To highlight this issue, the NDBPLF has decided to hold a maga rally in Ooty in November, he added. Baaga, any member of the largest tribal group living in the Nlgiri Hills of Tamil Ndu state in southern India. He said that NDBPLF recently held a meet in Ooty and resolved to unite all the other apolitical Badaga leaders and other Badaga organizations to knock the doors of the state and union governments to restore the ST status to Badagas.
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