Contribution short abstract:

Finger Millet or Ragi was a modest and filling staple food in rural South Karnataka before its almost displacement by pricier and auspicious Brahmanic and colonial Rice. Today’s research on its materiality has led to its (re)discovery as ‘Super Food’ within differing culinary trends in Bangalore.

Contribution long abstract:

For more than 2000 years, Finger Millet, Eleusine coracana Gaertn. or “Ragi” in the Kannada language has established itself as a staple food for people living in the Southern parts of today’s South Indian federal state of Karnataka. Usually, Ragi’s brown-reddish grains neither get refined nor polished before they get ground into brown flour from which traditional gruels called Ragi Mudde or flatbreads called Ragi Rotti are prepared as a starchy side dish for the local curries called Saaru or Huli. Throughout history and until today, it has been and is venerated and even deified as an easy and fast-growing nurturer providing long-lasting satiety and physical energy for the daily manual labour on the agricultural fields. This status is reflected in tales and festivals associated with Folk Hinduism in rural areas starkly contrasting with today’s widespread Brahmanic Hinduism since Rice is usually preferred and established as a pricier and auspicious food, especially for the famous Hindu gods. Additionally supported by the British colonial power, Rice as a staple and prestigious food almost replaced the now ill-reputed ‘poorman’s food’ Ragi over time far and foremost in the megacity of Bangalore. Its today’s (re)discovery can mostly be traced back to scientific research on its materiality in the context of the double burden of malnutrition in India making it into a ‘Super Food’ in the shape of new arising differing Ragi-Culinary Trends in the city.