Millet-based foods and grains available at Eco-Retreat locations

Bhubaneswar:9/1/24: Eco-Retreat, an Odisha tourism initiative running from December 1st, 2024 to March 15th, 2025, is a premium tourism experience that showcases the state’s natural beauty while promoting sustainable tourism practices. Guests can indulge in luxury camping, water sports, and immersive cultural experiences, including savoring local Odia cuisine including the mouth-smacking millet dishes made by the WSHG members giving the taste of homemade food millets, enjoying folk music, and witnessing traditional dance performances. The seven Eco-Retreat locations are Konark, Putsil, Sonapur, Daringbadi, Bhitarkanika, Satkosia, and Hirakud.

The Shree Anna Abhiyan, a flagship program under the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, Government of Odisha, in collaboration with the Department of Tourism, Government of Odisha, is promoting millet-based foods and grains at the Eco-Retreat locations of Konark, Daringbadi, Putsil, and Sonapur. Visitors to these Eco-Retreats can now enjoy a wide variety of traditional and contemporary millet delicacies prepared by the skilled hands of Women Self-Help Group (WSHG) members. The menu includes authentic dishes made out of different millets such as Poda Pitha, Ragi ladoo, Kakara Pitha, Manda Pitha, and Malpua, alongside innovative recipes like Ragi Chowmein, Ragi sandwich, Millet non-veg fritters and Millet Dahi Vada, etc. For those who prefer snacks, options include Ragi Cookies, Ragi Nimki, Sorghum Sev, Ragi Mixture, Ragi Murukku, Ragi Mixture, and many more.

This initiative has generated interest among visitors of all ages. The Millet menu is also included at Daringbadi and Putsil Eco-Retreat locations in support of Shree Anna Abhiyan for the guests staying in the luxurious executive tents, set up by the Tourism Department. The millet menu included Ragi Idli, Little Millet Kheer, Ragi upma, etc. People are not only enjoying these wholesome delicacies but are also showing keen interest in learning about millets and their health benefits. Apart from this, organically harvested millet grains and other millet snack items are available for purchase, allowing visitors to take home healthy foods.

The WSHG members, with their warm hospitality, are providing guests with a memorable culinary experience. Their hand-cooked dishes, marketed with authenticity, affordability, and exceptional taste, are winning hearts and palates alike.