Q1.
What other things are dried so that they remain unspoilt throughout the year? The four pictures printed above this question.
Answer
First, look carefully at the four pictures printed above the question in your book.
| Picture | What it shows | What is being dried |
|---|---|---|
| First | A round bamboo tray holding many pale-yellow round lumps, with a heap of thin white strands in one corner | Sun-dried badis (dal dumplings) and sevai (vermicelli) |
| Second | Three women bending over a bright green field, picking a leafy crop into cane baskets | Green leaves being harvested — leafy greens are dried and stored, like kasuri methi |
| Third | A heap of small oval pods, some fresh green and some dried cream-coloured | A spice being dried — cardamom-like pods, green when fresh and pale when dried |
| Fourth | A round bamboo tray filled with bright red chillies spread out flat | Red chillies drying in the Sun |
Many other things are dried in India so that they last all year. Here they are, sorted into groups.
| Group | Things that are dried |
|---|---|
| From dal and grain | Papad, badi / vadi / mangodi, sevai, sabudana papad, dried poha |
| Vegetables | Sun-dried tomato, dried potato (aloo papad), dried okra and brinjal slices, dried bottle gourd, dried peas, dried mushrooms, dried gongura and other greens, dried bamboo shoots |
| Fruits | Aam papad, amchur (dry mango powder), raisins from grapes, dried figs, dried apricots, dates, dried amla, kokum, tamarind |
| Spices and flavourings | Red chillies, turmeric, coriander seeds, cumin, black pepper, cardamom, dried ginger (sonth), dried curry leaves, kasuri methi |
| Non-vegetarian foods | Dried fish and dried prawns, made along the coasts of Gujarat, Odisha, Kerala and the North-East |
| Other | Nuts and seeds after harvest, and grain itself, which is dried before it is stored |
Why drying works for all of them: Every one of these foods is full of water when it is fresh. The Sun takes that water away. With no moisture left, microbes cannot grow, so the food stays unspoilt for months. When we want to cook it, we simply add water back — which is what happens when you soak badis or dried mushrooms before cooking.
Find out at home: ask which foods your family dries in your own region. In Rajasthan it may be ker-sangri; in Kerala, tapioca and fish; in Punjab, badis and methi; in the North-East, bamboo shoots and fish. Every region has its own list.