Handia rice beer

 

                           Handia a rice beer

Handia a toxicant is a symbol of celebrations, friendship and hospitality is produced locally almost in every house in deep into the rural part of Jharkhand and also source of income and livelihood for many household in rural areas. It is a women oriented business. It is made after drying the rice and mixed with powdered of about 10 tablets of Ranu or yeast per Kg rice and kept in large earthen pot or handi with mixture of water and left untouched for 3-4 days for fermentation or turn sour, after that it’s become consumable.

It has less alcoholic content it is not making the consumer alcoholic and compensates the loss of water in the body during summer. Tribal’s can live without food for long if he consumed Handia as it fulfills the lack of food and water during summer for longer period and save them from sun stroke. From children to old tribal’s it is three times course of food for them. In the town it is popularly known as Rice beer. Previously it was used for consumption only, but now a day’s its production became business for the tribal women. They can be seen making and selling Handia in city’s local markets or roadside itself. When the Munda tribes from Bihar migrated to Orissa and in Jharkhand they initiated to commercialize this Breverage and gradually it spread to the tribes in Orissa, some parts of Jharkhand and West Bengal and become source of sustenance.

This is poor man’s brevrage as rich persons during celebrations use to consume liquors of high qualities so, in the tribals these Rice beers are consumed during their celebrations such as Sarhul and other festivals and in some cultural family functions. Without it any feast is not celebrated in tribal region.  

           Text and Photo by- Ashok Karan,

         Ashokkaran.blogspot.com,

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