Do you know that a chutney can be prepared from Red Ants?
Yes, you have heard it right.
Red Ant Chutney which is also known as Kai chutney can be prepared with Red Ants as the main ingredient.
Where did it come from?
- Weaver ants, scientifically called Oecophylla smaragdina, are abundantly found in Mayurbhanj district of odisha throughout the year.
- It is widely consumed in Eastern states like Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Jharkhand.
How’s Red Ant Chutney prepared?
- The hunter must capture weaver ants from their nest colonies in order to collect and process the ants. These nests are constructed from leaves on trees and attached using silk from the larvae. Furthermore, these nests maintain their stability through strong winds and torrential rains.
• While in season, ants are abundant and plentiful. Once captured, ants and their eggs are eaten with salt and a lot of hot peppers.
The Ministry of Aayush will have to establish safety measures and rules to standardise processes for hygiene and sanitization in order to make it suitable for mainstream manufacture.
What’s special about it?
- Red Ant Chutney is rich in
- Calcium
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Calcium
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Potassium
- Sodium
- Copper
- Fiber
- 18 Amino acids
- Boosts Immune system
- Keep Diseases at bay
- Formic acid, which is known to combat germs in the human digestive tract, is also present in the ants and their eggs.
- Tribes also employ these ants to make oils that they use to treat skin conditions like gout and ringworm infections.
GI tag for Red Ant Chutney
• Scientists in Odisha are fine-tuning their findings in preparation for a Geographical Indications presentation (GI).
The GI tag, when used under the food category, would aid in creating an organized hygiene strategy for making Kai chutney.
GI labels help local businesses and increase the value and reputation of regional products.
What actually GI tag is?
GI is an indication used to identify products with unique qualities that come from a specific geographic region.
A geographical indication may be registered for a maximum of ten years. It is periodically renewable for additional terms of 10 years each.
It also falls under the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) framework established by the World Trade Organisation.
Significance of GI tag
Once GI protection has been granted, no other manufacturer may use the name incorrectly to advertise identical items. Additionally, it reassures clients about the legitimacy of the goods.
A product’s GI tag stops others from using a registered geographic indicator without permission, supports Indian geographic indication exports by offering legal protection, and also enables obtaining legal protection in other WTO (World Trade Organisation) member nations.
“Ants not only sting humans, but they can even provide nutrition to us!!”
Sources
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Red Ant Chutney