Food connections: BIT, Mesra

Ranchi, Jan. 1: Litti is set to go global. But make no mistake. The credit doesn’t go to any entrepreneur. An academician has taken an initiative to make the traditional dish of Bihar popular world-wide through a research work.

Meet Sonia Gupta, a senior lecturer of the department of hotel management and catering technology, BIT, Mesra. She is carrying out a research work with 10 students of the institution on litti.

Two stages of the research work, started almost six months ago, are complete and they have been documented in research journals world-wide. The documentation work comprises mixing of the original stuffing, sattu, with curd and garlic.

The assignments of the team conducting the research includes going to the roadside vendors selling litti to learn the recipe, frying the mouth-watering delights and roasting them with variety of spices. Experimentation is also being carried out with its original stuffing — sattu — chokha and chutney.

In an international conference scheduled to start from January 13 on BIT, Mesra, campus, the department of hotel management and catering technology has decided to serve litti with chokha and chutneys to the visiting delegates to make the traditional food popular.

Talks are also on with the city-based hotels to organise litti food festival as part of the research work. It would help the research team know more about people’s taste at the state-level, Gupta said. Subsequently nationwide festivals could be organised.

“It will be a true research which will also help the department find out something more substantial for further documentation,” said Gupta.

The senior lecturer said the department of hotel management and catering technology was working towards litti’s marketing to find out its potential.

“But we are really sorry to say that the city restaurants and hotels are yet to include this popular dish on their menu. We consulted the restaurant managers, but they are still reluctant to sell littis,” Gupta said.

According to a survey conducted by Gupta and her team, 89 per cent of the respondents to the query if they had heard about litti replied in negative.

“We also contacted non-Biharis and asked them whether they were aware of its popularity or not. Most of them said they had never tasted litti, which we found quite surprising,” Gupta said.

The senior lecturer said she and her team would visit different parts of the country like Bhopal and Delhi for a similar study to apprise people about litti.

“As far as research work is concerned, we are undertaking sample tests and also analysing data to check it suits which kind of population. We will soon be giving preferences to other people who will find out how much the non-Biharis and those from other parts of the country like the taste of littis.”

“There is no fixed date for submitting the research papers, though. It’s an ongoing process,” Gupta added.