Bastar Tribal Forest Food Mahua Tendu Chhattisgarh

The tribal communities of Bastar district in Chhattisgarh maintain one of the most diverse forest food systems in India, drawing on over 200 edible wild species from the Indravati river valley forests. Key forest foods include mahua (Madhuca longifolia) flowers fermented into wine and cooked as a sweet, Tendu (Diospyros melanoxylon) berries eaten fresh and leaves used for bidi rolling, sal seed fat extracted for cooking oil, bamboo shoots fermented into various preparations, and wild honey from rock bee colonies. Forest food sovereignty cooperatives led by Gond and Muria women challenge displacement by conservation projects. TRIFED links Bastar tribal forest food producers to urban health-food markets.