When the Harvest Comes Home

As an agrarian nation, the soil is part of India’s soul. As seasons change and after months of labour in the fields, farmers finally prepare for yields and new growth, there is a shift in the calendar of life itself. Wherever a harvest comes in, a festival follows and food is always the highlight for every celebration.

Sampling the Beauty of Bohag Bihu

Also known as Rongali Bihu, Bohag Bihu is the biggest and most important of the three prominent Bihu festivals celebrated in Assam. “It’s a month-long festival,” shares Gitika Saikia, founder of Gitika’s PakGhor, a Mumbai-based Assamese home chef outfit. Each day of the festivities has a special symbolism and is celebrated in a grand way — there is even a day dedicated to the bovine that historically pulled the plough across the paddy field.

No Bihu is complete without pitha. Assam’s version of sticky rice-based pancakes, these sweet treat are either fried or steamed, stuffed or plain, and signal festivities. Common fillings and additions include coconut, sesame and jaggery. It takes highly skilled and practised hands to tame the pitha dough and churn out these light-as-feather pancakes.

Duck is also a common delicacy during Bohag Bihu, says Saikia and there is a quiet logic to its timing. April marks the tail end of winter, when duck meat is at its best; once summer sets in, freshwater fish takes over as the preferred protein. For those from Assam’s ethnic communities, the seasonal calendar opens up something even more intensely seasonal and available for less than a week each April. “Red ant eggs and silkworm are also included,” says Saikia, who hails from the Sonowal Kachari tribe, while her husband belongs to the Boro Kachari tribe.

Rounding out the feast is a principle that centres itself around balance. “Consumption of bitter food is a must at Bihus,,” explains Saikia. Where much of India turns to bitter gourd for this purpose, Assam finds its answer in red bitter flowers that begin blooming from March onwards.

Ushering in Good Fortune with Vishu
Few harvest celebrations in India command as much reverence at the table as the Malayali ceremonial feast aka sadhya. Served on a banana leaf, the meal typically unfolds with inji puli (a sharp tamarind and ginger pickle) and poppadum (crisp lentil wafers), moves through thoran (dry vegetable stir-fries with coconut), sambar (a lentil and tamarind broth) and rasam (a thin, peppery soup), and closes with at least two types of payasam (rice or lentil pudding) alongside nendran, the plump, starchy Kerala banana. Every element has its place, and nothing arrives out of turn.

Vishu, Kerala’s new year and harvest festival, brings a quieter ritual to the table. Before the first meal of the year is eaten, children are led to the Vishukkani: a display of seasonal fruits, fresh flowers, betel leaf, sacred scriptures and the yellow kanni konna (Golden Cassia blossoms, which bloom precisely at this time of year). Only after this first sighting, does the day’s eating begin with the simple vishu kanji — a porridge made from Kerala’s red matta rice, seasonal legumes such as butterbeans or cowpeas, and coconut milk. It can be prepared sweet or savoury depending on the household, but it is almost always accompanied by puzhukku, a lightly spiced and nourishing vegetable stir-fry.

Starting afresh with Poila Boishakh
Bengal’s passion for gastronomy is to be admired. No wonder, food is at the core of every festival and big occasion. Poila Boishakh, or the first day of Vaishak month, is also known as Nobo Borsho (Bengali New Year). “Since it’s not a religious festival, there are no restrictions on what can be eaten, nor are there any traditional dishes associated with it,” shares Rhea Mitra Dalal, owner of Euphorhea Kitchen, a Bengali food catering company in Mumbai.

All of Bengal’s best-known dishes, like kosha mangsho (slow-cooked mutton curry), chingri malai kari (prawn and coconut curry), and aloo posto (potatoes cooked with poppy seed paste) make an appearance on Poila Boishakh. It is also ilish or Hilsa season, which makes an appearance in all its avatars — bhaja (fried), shorshe bata (mustard sauce), paturi (banana leaf parcel) and more. “Ilish is a favourite and is often the star of the meal,” she adds. Due to popular demand, Kolkata biryani, chaap, and rezhala are also becoming popular dishes on new year menus.

Most homes prefer simplicity in the specialities. Chingri bhapa (prawns steamed with mustard and poppy seeds), gota moshla mangsho (mutton with whole spices) are among a few of the lighter preparations on Nobo Borsho. “Bengalis love their vegetables and consider them delicacies of the same status as fancy meat preparations,” Mitra Dalal states. Dishes like tawk dal (sour dal) cooked with raw mangoes, begun basanti (eggplant in a mustard and yoghurt sauce), kochi potol bhaja (fried tender pointed gourd) flavour the festivities and signal the setting in of summer. “In some families, especially those with roots in East Bengal (Bangladesh), panta bhaat (lightly fermented leftover rice) is served with a variety of bhajas (assorted fries) and bhortas (mashed preparations),” she shares.

No meal is complete without mishti. Think payesh, sandesh and rosogolla alongside Bengal’s vast repertoire of acid-set cheese or chhena-based desserts.

Tucking into the bounty of Baisakhi
In Punjab, harvest season is always celebrated with great gusto. Baisakhi is no different. April is traditionally when wheat is harvested, and it forms the foundation of Punjabi food. “The arrival of the wheat harvest signifies abundance, sustenance, and continuity, making Baisakhi deeply meaningful for the community,” shares Delhi-based Vernika Awal, writer and brand lead at Ikk Panjab restaurants.

At the centre of the dinner table, commonly found celebratory dishes include aate da halwa (wheat flour pudding) and an array of breads. “Made from freshly milled wheat flour, it is utterly evocative, rich, warm and comforting. Alongside this, there are various breads such as rotis, kulchas, pooris and parathas, often served with seasonal curries,” adds Awal. A Punjabi table will be lacking without sarson da saag (mustard greens curry). There is also the flavourful, yoghurt-based kadhi with deep-fried chickpea flour and onion pakodas or dumplings. Beverages such as lassi and fresh sugarcane juice are also enjoyed, offering a refreshing respite as early summer begins to set in.

Gurudwaras mark Baisakhi as the birth of the Khalsa Panth, a brotherhood embodying justice, equality, and selfless service. Langars, or community meals, offer simple but nourishing food to those in need. On the menu, you will find langarwali dal is often served with fresh chapati smeared with ghee or butter, a seasonal mixed vegetables preparation and kada prasad, a sacred, velvety wheat flour dessert akin to the aate da halwa. “These dishes are simple but deeply symbolic, representing the abundance of Punjab,” Awal signs off.