Red-ant Chutney with Nutritional Benefits

By Mira Pawar

India is home to countless types of chutneys to be consumed with different savouries in different regions. We have coconut chutney for Dosas, red sweet and sour chutney for Samosas, Pakoras, Aloo chaat and Dahi-wada, green chutney for chillas, paneer tikka and Pappad. Actually they can be consumed with anything depending on one’s choice.

However, there is one rare condiment – Red-ant chutney made from red weaver ants and their eggs. It’s a traditional food in the tribal communities of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and west Bengal, it is known as Kai chutney, Hao Rit, Chapura, Chapda chutney or Chhapra chutney. Besides India, weaver ants are consumed in China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea. Philippines, Thailand Cameroon, Malaysia and Sri Lanka also.

Madia tribe from the Bastar division of Chhattisgarh have this chutney as it has a wonderful tangy flavour. This chutney is semi solid and has a pungent and sour taste. The ants and their eggs are mostly collected from their nests. They are cleaned. Salt, ginger, garlic and chilies are added and ground together to make the Chutney. The tribal people of Mayurbhanj district of Odisha make this Chutney and call it Similipal Kai Chutney. One kilogram of Kai Chutney costs around INR. 1,000/-  It is a good source of protein, calcium, zinc, vitamin B-12, iron, magnesium and potassium and is believed to have medicinal and nutritional properties. The chutney is believed to help develop a healthy brain and nervous system. It also helps manage conditions like depression, fatigue, memory loss, bone and eye health. This chutney can be added to a range of dishes including fish, vegetable curry, ambadi (a green leafy vegetable) and many more. It has a high folic acid content and therefore it tastes very hot.

Normally ants can contaminate food, cause structural damage and deliver painful stings, but they are an inexpensive protein and mineral rich food source. Many cultures in Africa, Asia and South America rely on ants and other insects as their main source of protein. In Brazil, the fat-ass ants are fried with spices and considered as a delicacy. In Mexico, people eat ant egg caviar known as escamoles. However, due to deforestation, pesticides and over collection, it has become hard to get the delicious Caviar. In Thailand people eat ant eggs which are stir fried with herbs and vegetables, or eaten fresh in salads.  

Queen Ants can live up to 30 years and multiply to millions of ants in their lifetime. Humans are more likely to kill them by finding their nests and kill them directly, use ant killer, ant bait or try a natural solution like borax or hot water.

On January 2, 2024 red ant chutney was awarded a geographical indication (GI) tag recognizing its distinct regional origin.