Around 2,000 persons visited National College ground in Bengaluru on the first day of the Avarebele Mela, organised by Sree Vasavi Condiments, on January 5. The event celebrates the avarebele, or the Hyacinth beans, a staple of people’s diet in south Karnataka.
This year, the organisers have introduced two new avare dishes — crispy beans on the lines of crispy corn, and avarebele flakes, a flaky ice cream made out of avarekaalu. Desserts like avarebele holige, avare jalebi, avare ice cream, avare dose and avare gobi manchurian were among the popular dishes at the mela. Around 20 tonnes of avarebele have been used to make a variety of dishes, according to the organisers.
Vasanta Krishnamurthy, a visitor, said, “It is fascinating for us to attend this mela. We come here every year. We were looking forward to this festival, and it was an excellent experience.”
