Bamboo-roasted Chicken

Chicken seasoned with salt and red chili, then placed in bamboo tubes and roasted over a large fire for 45 minutes.

Bamboo-roasted Chicken

Bamboo-roasted chicken is a traditional dish of the indigenous Adivasi community living in the dense forests of the Araku Valley, Andhra Pradesh state. Today, there are about 15 Adivasi communities living in Araku. The tribes in Araku have traditionally devised ways to cook chicken and biryani (a traditional Indian spiced rice dish) in bamboo tubes - instead of pots and pans.

According to tradition, bamboo-roasted chicken is prepared simply: chicken mixed with salt and red chili, placed in bamboo tubes, and then roasted over a fire. Cooks may also add rice to make biryani. With the development of tourism, Adivasi chefs have begun to innovate this dish, combining ancient cooking techniques with new spices.

Sowbhagya Lakshmi is one of the chefs in the village of Chaparai, Araku Valley. She opens a bamboo-roasted chicken stall while her four-year-old son, Babu Muna, plays around. Eight years ago, when Lakshmi started selling bamboo-roasted chicken to make a living, there were only a few people like her in the area. Nowadays, during the peak tourist season from November to January, there are over 30 stalls on a small road.

Lakshmi adds a special red powder she calls jaji puvvu, and finally a pinch of lemon-infused salt. After stuffing the chicken and rice into the hollow bamboo trunk, she seals it with leaves and roasts it for 45 minutes. When the green bamboo shell turns charcoal, she opens it, halves the tubes, and prepares a delicious chicken rice meal for her guests.

Meanwhile, at a larger stall, a man named Dombo proudly showcases his dish. In addition to the usual spices, his family adds a traditional ingredient called ghee (clarified butter originating from ancient India). This spice prevents the biryani from sticking to the bamboo tubes during roasting.

As he flips the bamboo tubes on the stove, Dombo shares, “I grew up with this dish, albeit in a much simpler version. Every time I visited my family deep in the forest, I got to eat it.” However, like many other tribes in Araku, Dombo's relatives later moved to a new urban area, selling forest land to hotels and newly emerging shops.

Alongside the positive aspects of tourism, many also recognize the risks and challenges it brings. Dombo feels pleased that bamboo-roasted chicken has become a delicacy, but many people from all over come to try it and imitate it. Now, bamboo-roasted chicken in Araku is no longer considered unique as many chefs who are not natives cook this dish throughout Andhra Pradesh. However, the chefs still hope that tourists will come here, crossing the mountains to eat bamboo-roasted chicken cooked by those who understand it best.

The Araku Valley connects with the rest of India through a small highway and a railway line passing through tunnels and steep mountains, known for its beautiful scenery, diverse terrain with caves, waterfalls, and streams.

Famous for coffee and cocoa cultivation, Araku comprises villages connected by dirt roads, but the city center of Araku is relatively developed and includes tourist spots introducing the region's cultural, historical, and agricultural heritage. Here, tourists can walk from the Tribal Museum to the Coffee Museum and end the tour at a chocolate shop with local products. Hotels and shops are concentrated on the main thoroughfare, and from here, tourists can also admire the majestic Eastern Ghats mountain range.

According to Ngan Duong/ Vnexpress

***

Reference: Travel guide Mytour