Eenth (Cycas circinalis), an organic food item popularised by the early settlers in Idukki, is gradually making a comeback to the food menu of Keralites.
According to local traders, the demand for the item has been on a surge over the past couple of years with people, even from faraway locations, coming down to the local markets in the hill district in search of the food item. The annual harvesting season for the crop is from September to November.
Joseph Mathew, a local vendor at Labbakkada, near Kattappana, said he was buying dried eenth at ₹120-130 per kg. “The item holds a huge demand but is scarcely available. The eenth powder is typically used for making puttu,” Mr. Joseph said.
Early settlers and eenth
When the first wave of farmers settled in Idukki in the 1920s, eenth was one of the major foods for settlers. According to natives, a large number of eenth plants are still growing in and around Ayyappancoil, near Kattappana — one of the earliest settlements in the region in Idukki.
For instance, Kunjumol Mathirappally, a 80-year-old member of a settler family at Ayyappancoil, currently preserves five eenth trees in her property.
V.R. Anandan, a tribal community member, said the tribespeople are aware of the importance of the plant. “Cycas-based food items are a part of most tribal families’ daily diet,” he said.
Idukki Wildlife Warden G. Jayachandran said that many Cycas plants have been growing inside the Idukki wildlife sanctuary. “The Forest department carefully preserved the Cycas plants and mainly the tribal people in the region are harvesting it,” said Mr. Jayachandran.
Long duration crop
Jomy Augustine, former Professor of Botany at St. Thomas College in Pala, says, “The plant genus Cycas belongs to the very ancient plant group called Cycadales. Cycas and a few genera are the only living representatives of this group. Some scientists were of the opinion that the largest plant group Angiosperms (flowering plants) evolved from the Cycadales some 150 million years ago. It does not mean that Cycas was present since that time. The plant group that evolved into the angiosperms were relatives of Cycas,”
“Cycas circinallis are both male and female. It is the feature of most gymnosperms. So the formation of the seed or fruit is rarer than the plants with both sex organs in one flower or one plant. Cycas starts reproduction after long years of growth. If it is cut or damaged or eaten off by other animals the chances of formation of seed is ruled out. The fruits present in Cycas are actually seeds. Though the seeds are edible, one can expect the seeds only after some 40 or more years. So people usually don’t like to plant Cycas. It is usually said that people who plant cycas are those who love the next generation,” Said Mr Augustine.
