Sattu has always found a place on the common man’s plate. Our ancestors have always made use of the knowledge that Sattu, while a filling and easy to prepare, is also nutritious and it strengthened them and readied them for a hard day’s work. Chiefly associated with Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, Sattu always had admirers in Odisha, where a sherbet called chatua is made with beaten rice, oats etc and West Bengal with its jober chatu where it is cooked with milk or palm jaggery. Sattu has always been malleable, attaching itself to various food cultures and attracting variations based on other local crops and the weather. In Tibet, the monks always carry a bowl with them to prepare Tsampa which is prepared with roasted barley and is eaten with Tibetan butter tea or yak stock. All this is traditional knowledge passed down through generations but slowly it is catching up with the wider public which is health conscious, reads health blogs and favours shopping at the health section instead of eating processed foods. The American quinoa came to India and spread quickly but we also managed to export our turmeric, millets and Sattu. The demystification of these traditional grains through food enthusiasts and celebrity chefs have helped them find a place on gourmet menus and they have successfully found a new wave of audiences. The sixty-eighth United Nations General Assembly declared the year 2016 as the International Year of Pulses to make people aware of the nutritional value they carry and the role they play in creating a sustainable food economy. In 2019, UN general assembly declared 10th February as World Pulses Day. Sattu is made from roasted pulses which has been the uncrowned superfood until now. It is low on GI which doesn’t spike sugar levels upon consuming and it is enjoyed by old and young alike. The preparation is key for Sattu because blind marketization and industrially produced Sattu will not be the same as the homemade version. At Goodify, we prepare Sattu in spirit of all our ancestors, staying true to their methods of roasting is uniformly and then stone grounding them so that the nutritional value remains intact and you can enjoy your Sattu ka sherbet and Litti Chokha like it is meant to be!
