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Patna, April 14: The 1999 hit film Biwi No. 1 starring Salman Khan, Karisma Kapoor and Sushmita Sen would have been one song short if it had been made now. The song — Hai hai mirchi, uff uff mirchi — would be a rarity in today’s Patna.
Green chillies that inspired the song are no longer hot. Residents looking to buy potent green chillies from the city’s vegetable markets are fuming.
Experts claim using high-yield fertilisers in the cultivation of chillies have made them less hot in comparison to the ones cultivated in the traditional way. To add that zing to their dishes with hot chillies, residents have shifted to substitutes like bottled chilli sauce and chilli paste available in the market.
Explaining the reason behind the missing spiciness in green chillies, R.K. Sohane, the director of Bihar Agriculture Management and Extension Training Institute, said: “These days, farmers use high-yield hybrid manure to grow chillies. From this manure, farmers can produce chillies in more quantities. However, the quality of the chillies is compromised upon. This is the reason we encourage farmers to adopt organic farming measures so that the taste remains unaltered. It is a fact that traditional chillies have gone missing from the platter as the market is flooded with new varieties of chillies, which look bigger but are much less hot.”
Vegetable markets like Mithapur, Sabzibag, Anta Ghat and Mussalarpur haat is no longer able to provide hot chillies like before. Madhuresh Kumar, a vegetable shop owner at Mithapur, said: “Yes, the customers are complaining that the chillies are no more hot and spicy. While people earlier used to buy 100gm of chilli, now they purchase at least 500gm as they need to use it in more quantity to get the desired level of hotness.”
The green chillies available in the market may look green and thick but once you taste it, it feels raw. People in Patna love to have their food spicy, especially non-vegetarian dishes like chicken and mutton, and the tame chillies are playing spoilsport.
Manju Devi, a resident of Buddha Colony, said: “Earlier, I used to buy 100gm of green chilli. It used to last me at least three to four days. But now I buy 500gm and it lasts only about four days, as I have to add more chillies to get the desired level of spiciness in the dishes. Earlier, four to five chillies used to be enough but now I have to put at least 10 to 15 chillies to get the desired taste, especially in chicken and mutton dishes.
“The actual taste of green chillies is lost. Sometimes, I use bottled chilli sauce and paste but that does not lend the same taste and aroma as real hot chillies can. It tastes artificial. The traditional green chillies may look tiny in size but they taste extremely hot. These days, the chillies are very thick but they have no kick in them,” added Manju.
Reena Singh, another homemaker and a resident of Patliputra, said: “I always complain to the vegetable vendors that I do not get the real green chillies, which used to be available in the market. The green chillies available now neither possess the earlier taste nor is it hot. The vegetable vendors blame the farmers for not producing hot chillies. I don’t know who is responsible for this but ultimately we, the customers, end up on the losing side. My husband is fond of having green chillies with his lunch and dinner. He loves to have them with salt. But nowadays, he complains about the green chillies I give him and tells me that I am unable to buy real hot chillies. I feel like hitting the vegetable vendors at such times.”
Physician Ajay Kumar explained the benefits of eating green chillies. Ajay, who is also a member of Bihar Health Services Association, said: “Green chillies are good for health. It is rich in vitamins and low in fat and cholesterol. They have a superb flavour. There are so many ways to enjoy them — fresh green chillies or pickled — especially in summer. Onions and green chillies help fight the hot wave.”