Saturday Nov 02, 2024
FT
Saturday Nov 02, 2024
Friday, 9 October 2020 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
As society at large is beginning to experience the impact of processed food, there is a renewed interest in going back to traditional food varieties that kept our ancestors healthy.
Traditional Sri Lankan foods are very much sought after today – their wholesome goodness has once again been discovered as more and more people turn to good old Sri Lankan varieties.
Yet, it is difficult to source organically produced traditional Sri Lankan foods – although farmer communities still grow them.
The site www.gamigedara.com is a unique e-commerce website that connects customers directly with farmer communities that produce difficult-to-find traditional Sri Lankan produce by making them available online.
From home grown pulses such as fox millet to fresh finger millet powder, the produce available on www.gamigedara.com has been sourced directly from villages and communities where farmers still grow them the traditional way.
“These farmers need access to the right market place – and the customers of today need to be able to find these products easily,” says a spokesman for www.gamigedara.com. “We are making the connection without the additional prices of middlemen.”
Among the unique products sourced by the www.gamigedara.com team are herbal porridge products that combine the goodness of ancient recipes and pulses such as thana haal and olu rice. There are also innovative products developed by farmer communities such as nutmeg jam, soursop cordial and biscuits made from heirloom rice varieties.
“There are truly innovative products developed by our farmer communities who still rely on their ancient heritage and unique insights from traditional farming methods to sustain traditional varieties of foods. These are vital for us to sustain our unique footprint that has survived generations and centuries.”
The site also markets heirloom rice varieties that are rare and difficult to find yet are packed with natural goodness.
“A few generations ago, Sri Lankans had their own food habits that involved consuming traditional food varieties – today, we are plagued with NCDs and diseases which are a direct result of no longer eating food that is compatible with our DNA. At www.gamigedara.com, we are hoping to bring back the traditional way of eating foods that our ancestors ate.”
He also adds that they are hoping to expand the range of Sri Lankan produce available on their site and welcomes all producers of truly Sri Lankan produce to showcase their produce on www.gamigedara.com.
