Women see ready-made Chakinalu in food outlets
Group effort to make snack during Sankranti strengthens bonds
Update: 2025-01-10 15:35 GMT
Adilabad: The preparation of ‘Chakinalu’ snacks during Sankranti has been a collective effort among women. However, women noted that Chakinalu are now also available as ready-made options in food shops.
During the Sankranti, women assist each other in making the popular snack in Telangana. Soundarya from Vidyanagar shared that making Chakinalu collectively is much easier than doing it individually, as it involves a big effort. The process requires mixing rice flour with additional ingredients and allowing the mixture to become wet before shaping the Chakinalu.
Once shaped, the wet Chakinalu is left to dry before being fried in boiled edible oil. Soundarya emphasised that making Chakinalu as a group activity not only simplifies the process but also strengthens friendships and bonds among women, extended family members, and neighbours. Conversations and laughter accompany the preparation, making it an enjoyable social event. Typically, three to four women are involved in making and roasting the wet Chakinalu, and sometimes men also lend their support.
The festive spirit was evident among extended families during Sankranti, with various traditional snacks such as ‘Chakinalu’, ‘Gyarelu’, ‘Poosa’, ‘Ariselu’, and ‘Garijelu’ being prepared and shared. However, some smaller families are opting to purchase these special Sankranti snacks from shops that market them as ‘homemade’. These shops have proliferated in towns and cities across the region in recent years.