Handia (drink)

{{Short description|Rice-based fermented alcoholic beverage from India}}

{{Infobox prepared food

| name = Handia

| image = Handia.jpg

| image_size = 200px

| caption = A bowl of Handia drink

| alternate_name =

| country = India

| region = mostly in Jharkhand & parts of Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh & Madhya Pradesh

| creator =

| course =

| type = Rice Beer

| served = Room temperature

| main_ingredient = Water, Ranu tablets, Herbs, Rice

| variations =

| calories =

| other =

}}

Handia (Also handi or hadiya) is a rice beer originating from the Indian subcontinent, popular in the Indian states of Assam,{{cite web|title=Xaj: Rice Beer of the Ahoms|url=https://www.goya.in/blog/xaj-rice-beer-of-the-ahoms|date=22 November 2022}} Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal.{{cite journal|title=Some interesting indigenous beverages among the tribals of Central India|url=http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/847/1/IJTK%206(1)%20(2007)%20141-143.pdf|journal=Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge|date=January 2007|volume=6|issue=1|pages=141–43|accessdate=8 February 2012}}

Etymology

Handia comes from the Odia, among other Indian languages, "handi" (ହାଣ୍ଡି) which means earthen pot, where it was traditionally prepared.{{cite news|url=https://www.dailypioneer.com/2014/state-editions/handia-most-preferred-summer-drink.html|title=Handia most preferred summer drink|date=19 May 2014|accessdate=7 Aug 2022}}

History

Evidence of fermentation and alcoholic beverages has been found in the Indus valley civilization during the Chalcolithic Period from 3000 BC to 2000 BC in India.{{cite news|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/amp/content/648466/its-high-time.html|title=It's high time!|website=deccanherald|date=16 December 2017|accessdate=7 Aug 2022}}

In Ancient India, the Vedas mention a beer-like drink called sura.{{cite book|author=Abraham Eraly|title=Gem in the Lotus|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YokatCwNG90C&pg=PT165|date=23 January 2002|publisher=Penguin Books Limited|isbn=978-93-5118-014-2|page=165}} It was the favourite of the god Indra.{{cite book|author1=Amitava Dasgupta|author2=Loralie J. Langman|title=Pharmacogenomics of Alcohol and Drugs of Abuse|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AiHaRjs3grYC&pg=PA13|access-date=8 October 2013|year=2012|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-4398-5611-6|page=13}}{{cite book|author=Om Prakash|title=Cultural History of India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nzpYb5UOeiwC&pg=PA503|access-date=8 October 2013|date=1 January 2005|publisher=New Age International|isbn=978-81-224-1587-2|page=503}} Kautilya has mentioned two intoxicating beverages made from rice called Medaka and Prasanna. Megasthenes, the Greek Ambassador to Maurya Emperor Chandragupta Maurya mentioned about rice beer in his book Indica where he mention Indian make wine from rice instead of barley. He mentioned Indian never drink rice wine except during sacrifice.{{cite news|url=https://archive.org/stream/ancientindiaasd01mccrgoog/ancientindiaasd01mccrgoog_djvu.txt|title=Ancient India as described by Megasthenês and Arrian; being a translation of the fragments of the Indika of Megasthenês collected by Dr. Schwanbeck, and of the first part of the Indika of Arrian|page=69|website=archive.org|accessdate=10 August 2022}}Gochberg, Donald S., et al., ed. "World Literature and Thought: Volume I: The Ancient Worlds"; Fort Worth, TX; Harcourt Brace; 1997, pp. 410-416.

Preparation

File:OpenSpeaks-Bfw-Munaremo-Mangala Sisa-Pendom.webm man and an Odia man discuss, in Bonda, and drink ceremonial handia in a Malkangiri village]]

The making involves the use of ranu tablets, which is essentially a combination of about 20-25 herbs and acts as a fermentor. These ranu tablets help in the preparation of many other beverages as well. The ranu tablets are then mixed with boiled rice and left to ferment in earthen pots. The drink is generally ready within a week. It is served cool and has lower alcoholic strength than other Indian country liquors.

Earlier it was only used in marriage functions and feasts, but it has since been commercialised, as people started selling it daily due to economic reasons.{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/tribals-beat-the-heat-with-handia/articleshow/12867393.cms|title=Tribals beat the heat with 'handia'|website=timesofindia|date=25 April 2012|access-date=7 Aug 2022}}{{cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/traditional-drink-handia-sells-like-hotcakes-in-orissa/articleshow/3148783.cms|title=traditional drink handia sells like hotcakes in orissa|website=economic times|date=20 June 2008|access-date=7 Aug 2022}}