Govt schools, students involve in traditional uppad pachir process
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Mangaluru: Several govt schools across the region are reviving the age-old tradition of making the traditional and popular 'uppad pachir' or 'uppad pachil', a method of preserving raw jackfruit in brine.
As part of this initiative, students, teachers, parents, and local residents are actively involved in the process.
Aravind Kudla, a teacher at DK ZP Higher Primary School Moodambailu, Vittal, said that the school was preserving raw jackfruit in brine before Covid, a tradition that's both practical and educational. "When vegetable prices soar, or even otherwise, we rely on 'uppad pachir' for preparing vegetable dishes on at least 25 to 30 days a year," he said.
The school sources raw jackfruit from nearby homes and preserves it in 100-150-litre drums, with both students and teachers actively participating in the process.
This year, the school preserved about 30 jackfruits using around 15 kg of salt. "The curry prepared from this brine, especially during festivals or special occasions, is delicious. Also, buying jackfruit preserved in brine from outside is expensive, one kilogram can cost around Rs 500," he noted.
The practice also offers a valuable learning experience. "Students learn about sustainable food preservation and value-added products. There are even Farmer Producer Organisations in villages that buy raw jackfruit due to the growing demand for jackfruit chips. The initiative is inspired by a local farmer. The seeds are dried and later used to prepare sambar. In the future, we may explore processing jackfruit seeds.
This is a life experience; it takes about a month for the brining process to settle, and the children truly enjoy being part of it," Aravind added.
At the Govt Higher Primary School in Nallur, Karkala, the preparation of 'uppad pachir' has become an annual celebration over the past eight years. "This initiative was started to preserve the tradition of Tulunadu and promote awareness about jackfruit as a superfood," said headmaster Nagesh.
"The speciality this year is we harvested about 40 jackfruits from the seven trees planted in our school grounds. Unlike previous years, when we sourced jackfruit from the surrounding community. The saplings were initially provided by the social forestry division. The preserved jackfruit will be used once a week as part of the midday meal programme," headmaster Nagesh added.
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