A diverse array of fusion dishes combining millet and fish captured the spotlight at the inaugural day of the three-day Millet-Fish Festival hosted by the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). The festival, which commenced on Thursday, featured an enticing selection of millet-fish creations, including Kodo millet-shrimp biryani, Little millet-seafood sadya, octopus fry, seaweed halwa, pearl millet smoothie, and various millet sweets, drawing a large crowd of food enthusiasts.
One of the festival’s highlights was the Karnataka vegetarian millet food stall, managed by a team of 12 farmers, including women, from North Karnataka. Their offerings included unique dishes like cholappam (bread with sorghum), finger millet poori, and millet-based sweets. Live fish sales, featuring seabass, pearl spot, red snapper, and tilapia farmed in cages, were also a major attraction.
Adding an element of competition to the festival, Thursday featured a recipe contest showcasing innovative millet-fish combo dishes. Participants demonstrated culinary creativity with dishes such as fish nirvana, millet khawa, multi-millet steam cake, and a variety of millet biryanis.
In addition to the culinary delights, the festival includes various activities such as a buyer-seller meet, the sale of millets and millet-based products, nutrition and health talks, and seminars. Farmers, farmer’s producer organizations (FPOs), self-help groups, and agri-startups are actively participating, presenting their products and creating opportunities for business deals among consumers, traders, and distributors.
C. Tara Satyavathi, Director of ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Hyderabad, inaugurated the festival, with CMFRI Director A. Gopalakrishnan presiding over the event. The festival also offers a variety of agricultural products, including fruit saplings, vegetable seeds, and meat products from the Kerala Agricultural University and the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University. On Friday, a millet cookery show by culinary experts from Karnataka is set to be a highlight of the ongoing festival.