From Village Bowl to Global Brand? Assam’s Komal Saul Eyes World Breakfast Market

A CORRESPONDENT

NALBARI: Socially conscious people in Nalbari have responded significantly to the idea of establishing Assam’s traditional and healthy breakfast food, ‘Komal Saul’ (soft rice), as a potential food product in the global market. Deeply connected with Assam’s rural life, agricultural traditions and food culture, Komal Saul is now being viewed as a product that could reach national and international markets through modern packaging, value addition and organised commercial management.

The speciality of Komal Saul is that it does not require cooking over fire or gas. The rice becomes ready to eat after being soaked in water for some time. It is traditionally consumed with curd, banana, jaggery, salt, ginger, green chillies, pickles, soaked gram and other accompaniments. Available in both sweet and savoury forms, this traditional Assamese food has the potential to emerge as a healthy alternative to modern instant food because of its easy preparation, taste and nutritional value.

A personal experience linked to the potential of Komal Saul has added further significance to the discussion. In 2012, while travelling by train from Maharashtra to Assam, a passenger shared the experience of Komal Saul with a Maharashtrian couple seated opposite him. The man was diabetic and had taken insulin before consuming food on the train. After the railway meal arrived, the couple had difficulty eating it. At that moment, the passenger took Komal Saul out of his bag, soaked it in water and ate it with pickle, salt and ginger.

The Maharashtrian couple became curious after seeing the unusual food and asked about it. The passenger explained the preparation and offered them some to taste. They liked the food and took his phone number. Later, they reportedly began collecting Komal Saul through their relatives in Guwahati and continued consuming it regularly.

The experience has strengthened the belief that traditional food products from Assam can attract consumers outside the state as well. At a time when demand is growing worldwide for food that is easy to prepare, healthy and natural, Komal Saul could potentially develop into an important food brand, many people believe.

Several socially conscious citizens have suggested that Komal Saul should not remain limited to its identity as a traditional breakfast item but should be developed as a modern value-added food product. For instance, different ready-to-eat or ready-to-prepare packages could be created by combining Komal Saul with banana powder, jaggery powder, dry fruits, nuts, spices and other natural ingredients.

A potential food package containing Komal Saul, banana powder and jaggery powder could be prepared by simply adding water, making it ready to eat within around 20 minutes. Such a product could have potential applications during air travel, train journeys, camping, trekking, in student hostels, for the armed forces and as relief food during floods and other emergencies.

However, those involved in agriculture believe that prioritising the production and supply of food is essential.

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