When Keralayeem, the Kerala Government’s 10-day event concluded in Thiruvananthapuram, gourmets in the city had something novel to talk about — Vanasundari chicken, a delicacy from Attappady in Palakkad district, which was promoted as one of the 10 branded dishes from Kerala.
Vanasundari chicken comes from the tribal settlements of Attappady. The Attappady Comprehensive Tribal and Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups Development Project was launched by Kudumbasree (a community organisation of Neighbourhood Groups in Kerala) in 2014 for the comprehensive development of three tribal communities in Attappady — Irula, Muduga and Kurumba.
“It was conceptualised against the backdrop of malnutrition deaths in Attappady,” says Karunakaran KP, coordinator (skills and self-employment) of the project. “A series of skill development programmes to improve the social and economic status of the tribal population was rolled out as part of this and one of them was to encourage them to gain entry into the food industry. In 2017, training was given to 32 women from the three communities to help them promote their cuisine, thereby ensuring better livelihood,” he says.
