Traditional Knowledge on Indigenous Foods in the Communities of Tamilnadu- An Exploratory Cross- Sectional Study

Abstract

<i>Introduction</i>: Traditional food knowledge is the knowledge passed from one generation to another generation. Ancient Tamil peoples believes “<i>Unavemarundhu</i>” which means <i>“Let’s food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”</i>. Indigenous food system helps to improve the quality of life. <i>Objective</i>: This study was conducted to assess, collect and document the traditional knowledge on indigenous foods followed in the Communities of Tamilnadu. <i>Methods</i>: A cross sectional study was conducted through Focus group discussion and one on one interview method among the 202 selected women Respondents in the age group 30-90 years old. <i>Results</i>: Knowledge assessment of the selected Respondents reveals that the majority of the people from the age group above 80 (71.6%) possess more traditional knowledge. People in the age group of 30-39 (10.5%) years possess least traditional knowledge. Even though we have plenty of awareness about exclusive breast feeding, still most of the Respondents prefer to include the sugar syrup as first food for infants due to superstitious belief. <i>Conclusion</i>: The above study concluded that the traditional knowledge to indigenous food was decreasing gradually, if this situation persists, we may lose our precious traditional knowledge on food in future. Indigenous food preparations are rich in nutraceutical compound which aids for better well being and improve immunity. So it is important to document the indigenous food in order to protect and preserve our traditional knowledge.