Livelihood opportunities in ethnic food system of mandi district of Himachal Pradesh

Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh is a leading hub of traditional food heritage. These traditional foods are on the verge of disappearance due to changing food habits of people. Hence an effort has been made to document the method of preparation of various dishes included in traditional meal called Mandyali Dham. Dham is traditional meal served to the people in Himachali culture on the occasion of marriages or any religious days. The information was collected from the chefs locally called Botis using focused group discussion method. Eight to nine dishes are cooked and served in Mandyali Dham. Among all Sepu Vadi, an Urad Dal, Vigna mungo (L) Hepper-based recipe is the special delicacy of Dham. The production of dry Sepu Vadi has an immense potential for entrepreneurship not only in the country but across the globe if industrialized. Therefore it needs the attention of policy planners to grant the status of small scale industry to attract the unemployed youth towards Sepu Vadi business. Furthermore most of the recipes are pulses-based having good dietary protein thus it can play a vital role in sustainable pulse production in the region. Leaf plates locally called Pattals used for serving food are a source of livelihood for the people thus efforts are needed for its conservation. It also draws the attention of food technologists towards development of recipes of Dham as ready to eat meal and incorporation of these recipes in hotel management courses is suggested. Effective policy for registration of these traditional foods by granting geographical indications should be framed so that these products establish trust and create brands in the market.