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Case Study

Odisha’s Forgotten Foods Campaign

Taking the conversation on indigenous foods from village fields to state policy

Sector: Food Systems

Tags: Tribal Culture · Millets · Indigenous Food

Geography: Odisha

Partner:

Reviving Forgotten Foods

By co-creating reels with social media influencers, we documented forgotten tribal dishes
and helped spark conversations around food identity that led to a ₹ 247-crore state-level
policy conversation.

Odisha's Chief Minister acknowledged the role of food creators in bringing forgotten recipes back into households and announced a five-year project covering 25 biodiversity-rich blocks across 15 districts to revive neglected local crops, multiplication of indigenous varieties and nutritional profiling of traditional foods.

Context

Between modern lifestyles and new dietary preferences, an entire food culture is subtly disappearing. Tribal recipes like Ghuli Musi passed through generations by memory had never needed to be written down. This living knowledge remained undocumented with no mainstream audience or no way to travel beyond the hands that held it.

Our Approach

These foods existed in memory, but they had no presence in public conversation. We framed these dishes as heritage to be reclaimed because this was not just an awareness problem but a visibility and pride problem.

1. Local creators

We partnered with 30+ travel and food influencers from Odisha who could tell these stories from within, in a voice the community already trusted.

3. History and culture

Our narrative framework explored the history, local traditions, and cultural meanings woven into tribal cuisines. While many of these food practices continue within communities, they are increasingly at risk as younger generations migrate, highlighting the importance of preserving local knowledge and identity.

2. Field over studio

We took regional social media influencers to film in villages and communities instead of big studios, ensuring that the storytelling remained rooted in lived experience.

1. Local creators

We partnered with 30+ travel and food influencers from Odisha who could tell these stories from within, in a voice the community already trusted.

2. Field over studio

We took regional social media influencers to film in villages and communities instead of big studios, ensuring that the storytelling remained rooted in lived experience.

3. History and culture

The Stories We Told

Local social media influencers participated in an immersive field trip to Malkangiri and Nuapada, two tribal districts of Odisha, to bring to life the stories of disappearing foods on Instagram.

1,000+ comments

Reels

Creators

1cr

Views

1.5 Million Views

The Chuktia Bhunjia tribe of Nuapada has the Ghuli Musi Saag, made with snails collected from nearby farms and everyday ingredients like mustard, turmeric, chilli, tamarind and salt.

1.7 Million Views

Kekda Jhol is prepared from crabs freshly collected from local fields and rivers and is extinct from other areas due to heavy use of pesticides. This dish has a remarkable taste.

1 Million Views

Many other tribal dishes like Kekda Khoj, Tuhel Khari, Ghuli Musi Saag, Kodo Chaula Khiri, Kulath Dal, Dhens Kanda each reflect deep cultural roots and heartfelt community traditions.

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From Outputs to Outcomes

Early signs of change

People started discussing traditional recipes in daily conversations. Topics that hadn't come up in years were coming up in conversations and it became a popular topic on social media as communities took ownership of the conversation.

Continued conversations

Some creators who worked on the campaign were recognised and awarded for their videos, a signal to the wider creator group that field-first, community-rooted storytelling could hold its own anywhere. Several other creators continued making content on forgotten foods long after the campaign ended on their own.

A cultural shift

The Chuktiya Bhunjia tribe's food traditions, unknown to most of Odisha were recognised for the first time, by people who commented that they had never heard of these traditions despite living nearby. In schools and colleges, young people who were disconnected from these foods were among the most engaged. A local district collector even screened the reels in his district.

Policy shift

The Odisha CM acknowledged the role of food creators in taking forgotten recipes to every household which preceded a ₹247 crore project signed between the Odisha government and WASSAN covering 25 biodiversity-rich blocks for documentation of neglected crops, multiplication of indigenous varieties and nutritional profiling of traditional foods in Odisha.

Early signs of change

A cultural shift

Continued conversations

Policy shift

"These recipes and cooking styles need to spread to every house.
For this, we can take the help of food bloggers."

- Odisha CM speaking at a symposium in Bhubaneswar

"These recipes and cooking styles need to spread to
every house. For this, we can take the help of food bloggers"

- Odisha CM speaking at a symposium in Bhubaneswar

What Partners Have To Say

We didn't expect this topic to pick up so quickly among people. It definitely made a difference. People are now talking about things they had almost forgotten.