The black husk of Kalanamk rice grain
Standing crop in the field

Kalanamak is a scented rice of Nepal and India . Its name means black husk (kala = black; the suffix ‘namak’ means salt). This variety has been in cultivation since the original Buddhist period (600 BC). It is popular in Himalayan Tarai of Nepal i.e., Kapilvastu, and eastern Uttar Pradesh, where it is known as the scented black pearl. It was featured in the book Speciality rices of the world by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Acreage under this variety has declined sharply, pushing it towards extinction, for reasons including:

  • Panicle blast epidemics in 1998 and 1999
  • tall stature of the crop causing lodging
  • long time harvest (6 to 7 months)
  • poor quality seeds and research support

Kalanamak was grown widely in Kapilvastu and UP's Tarai belt, which comprised districts Siddharth Nagar, Sant Kabir Nagar, Maharajganj, Basti, Gonda, and Gorakhpur. Until the 1990s, the variety made up more than 10% of total rice cultivation area in Siddharthanagar. However, acreage growing this variety in this district declined to <0.5% of total rice cultivation during 2002.

History

Picture of fossilized grain of Kalanamak rice found during the excavation of Aligarhwa, Siddharthnagar, Uttar Pradesh (believed to be a part of Kapilvastu). Image taken from book 'A Treatise On The Secented rices of India' by R.K. Singh and U.S. Singh page 425
Grains of Kalanamak rice

Kalanamak rice has been cultivated since the Buddhist period (600 BC).[1] Kalanamak grains were found from excavation of Kapilvastu. Kapilvastu, part of the Kingdom of King Śuddhodana, father of Gautama Buddha is located in Terai, Nepal. During excavation of Aligarhwa carbonized rice grains resembling Kalanamak were recovered.

Chinese monk Fa-hain wrote that when Buddha visited Kapilvastu for the first time after attaining ‘enlightenment’, he was stopped at Mathla village by the people. The villagers asked Siddhartha to give them prasad. Siddhartha took the rice he had taken in alms and gave it to the people, asking them to sow it in a marshy place. The rice thus produced “will have typical aroma which will always remind people of me,” he said. Bajha jungle later vanished replaced by Bajha village near Kapilvastu. Mudila village replaced Mathla. The belt is still believed to run between Bajha and Aligarhwa. This variety, if sown elsewhere, loses its aroma and quality.

The first effort to conserve Kalanamak rice was made by Englishmen William Pepe, J H Hemprey, and Edcan Walker (Jamindars of Alidapur, Birdpur, and Mohana) during the British Raj. They built reservoirs at Bajha, Marthi, Moti, and Majhauli to produce Kalanamak. They produced this variety for their own consumption and transported it to England from Uska-bazar mandi, passing through Dhaka (now in Bangladesh). Due to increasing demand, the British captured the land around Kapilvastu, and established Birdpur and Alidapur states. They produced Kalanamak through bonded labor and exported to Britain. When Gujarati businessmen came to know about this business potential, they formed a mandi at Uska-bazar to export Kalanamak. To counter them British “shopkeepers” built a rail route to carry rice via rail. After independence, Uska-bazar mandi became nonfunctional due to negligence, and reservoirs gathered silt. This led to a fall in production of Kalanamak.[2]

GI Tag

Kalanamak rice was granted the Geographical Indication (GI) Tag in 2012 by the Government of India.A geographical area was defined where Kalanamak rice can be produced. Kalanamak rice grown only in this defined area can be labelled as Kalanamak rice.[3] The GI tag is used for agricultural, natural and manufactured goods.

The geographical area for Kalanamak rice lies between 26° 42′ North to 27° 75′ North Latitude and 81° 42′ to 83° 88′ East Longitude in UP.

Kalanamak Rice is approved for 11 districts of Zone 7 of UP. These 11 districts are located in the divisions of Gorakhpur (Deoria, Gorakhpur, Mahrajganj, Siddharth Nagar districts), Basti (Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Siddharth Nagar districts), and Devipatan (Bahraich, Balrampur, Gonda, Shravasti districts).

Quality

Comparison of the grain length of cooked and uncooked kernel of Kalanamak rice grain. The Elongation after cooking is almost 2.2 times the grain length

Kalanamak rice is a non-basmati rice with medium slender grain length. The four varieties of Kalanamak are KN 3, Bauna Kalanamak 101, Bauna Kalanamak 102 and Kalanamak Kiran were developed by Dr. R. C. Chaudhary. The aroma of Kalanamak rice is said to be Buddha's gift. It is stronger than all Basmati varieties. It elongates after cooking, which is one of its most important quality traits.[4] Cooked kalanamak is softer and fluffier that other rice varieties. Amylose content is close to 20% as compared to 24% and higher in Basmati. High amylose levels tend to make the rice cook firm and dry. Rice with a medium amylose content, between 16% and 22%, usually cooks softer and the grains stick together more readily.

Health benefits

Kalanamak rice is rich in micronutrients such as Iron and Zinc. Therefore, this rice is said to prevent diseases borne out of nutrient deficiencies. Regular intake of Kalanamak rice is said to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. It has 11% protein, almost double that of common rice varieties. It has low Glycemic Index (49% to 52%) making it relatively sugar Free and suitable for diabetics. The government of India came out with its Nutri-Farm scheme in 2013, with the aim to promote food crops that offer critical micronutrients to improve nutrition status of the vulnerable section of society. Kalanamak rice was one of the nutri-crop selected for this scheme.

References

  1. ↑ Rediscovering Scented Rice Cultivar Kalanamak; Reproduced from Asian Agri-History Vol. 9, No. 3, 2005 (211–219)
  2. ↑ "Welcome to Asian Agri-History Foundation (AAHF)".
  3. ↑ GOVERNMENT OF INDIA GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS JOURNAL NO. 48 NOVEMBER 29, 2012 / AGRAHAYANA 08, SAKA 1934
  4. ↑ http://vcampus.uom.ac.mu/sugar/education/sugarnhealth/rice.htm

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