AHMEDABAD: Have you ever tasted nagli papad bhel and pineapple & apple jalebi? These are among the 500 preparations that are featured at Sattvik, the traditional food festival which began in Ahmedabad on Saturday. The food festival doesn’t offer conventional dishes; instead, it focusses on dishes that hold cultural and nutritional significance. More than 100 stalls are part of the festival.

“We aim to increase footfalls from 60,000 people last year to 1 lakh this year,” said Prof Anil Gupta, the founder of SRISTI and a retired IIM-A faculty member. The item presented at the festival include doh, a unique energy drink often made of corn and buttermilk; and guganiya Punjabi khichda, a Sindhi-Punjabi creation. “Cooked in pure ghee with corn, guganiya is a form of khichdi often prepared during Lodhi. It is rich in fibre as it also contains jowar and bajra,” said one of the participants.

Some preparations are native to Kutch. “Kathiyawadi dhumadiya is a form of sizzler which comprises various local preparations including khichdi and a variety of patties made of potato, mixed grains and jowar — all served with a specific sauce,” said 30-year-old Sandhya Vedan.