Old people in the village tell me that 50 years ago, there was no money. Mothers had to feed their families. There were no Maggie noodles you could buy at the village shops, so what did they eat?  “Local foods”.

Women had a treasure trove of knowledge with which they feed their families. One of these treasures is a banana flower. Made into a vada, curry, or vegetable dish, local foods are versatile, tasty, and highly beneficial medicinally and nutritionally. Mothers kept their families healthy with their cultural knowledge. These days, food is functional. You eat to go to work, and when you are sick, you go to a doctor. Traditionally, local women were doctors, midwives, naturopaths, cooks, and farmers! Custodians of cultural heritage.