The Chilgoza pine is native to the northwestern Himalaya in eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northwest India, and one of the most important cash crops of tribal people residing in the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh.
Gaurish Shyam
May 06, 2021 · 2 min read
The Chilgoza Pinenuts (neoza in hindi) are the fruits of the Chilgoza Pine/Neja Pine (Pinus gerardiana) and are primarily found in the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh. Being rich in vitamins, antioxidants, and magnesium, they are a very popular winter evening snack.
"44910001" by siddarth.machado is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
The highly remunerative Chilgoza (pine nut) production is under pressure due to construction of hydel projects. "Pine nut" by India Water Portal is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
I have spent my childhood days roasting these nuts along with sweet potatoes every evening in the bukhari (traditional wood-burning stove) and everyone would then relish these delicious freshly roasted nuts.
Chilgoza are super rare and are very expensive and are mainly found in the annualLavi Mela of Rampur and local Kinnauri households.
The chalvoza is one of the most important cash crops of tribal people residing in the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh, India. "Seasonal Nut Cracking" by Swamibu is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
These nuts have a very thin brown shell and taste bitter if consumed without roasting. Roasting the nuts frees it from the shell and leads to significant flavour changes. The nuts become crunchy, develop a buttery flavour, and taste like peanuts.
Their species are in decline and have been added to the threatened species list. Overexploitation for the nut and pastoral and agricultural purposes has caused this near-endemic species to get endangered. The state government has made some efforts to start artificial regeneration of the species which show some promise.
Gaurish Shyam is a native of Kotgarh, a remote village in the Upper Shimla region of Himachal Pradesh. He has been born and brought up in Shimla. He is currently enrolled in the Culinary Arts program of Manipal University, Karnataka, and is very keen on exploring the local cuisine and indigenous ingredients found in Himachal. He has traveled across the state to learn the cuisine and has received training as a kitchen intern in various food establishments including a cheese factory.
