Pumpkin pills are being made commercially in Nandigram

Nandigram (Bogra) Correspondent: Pumpkin pills are being made commercially in different villages of Nandigram in Bogra. That is why the artisans of making pumpkin pills of the upazila are busy now. These pills are being sent to different parts of the country to meet the local demand.

In winter, the festival of making pills with kalai and chalkumra is going on in every house. Although tuktuk pills are made throughout the year, winter is the whole season for making pumpkin pills. Ashwin, Karthik, Agrahayan, Poush, Magh and Falgun. During these six months, pumpkin pills are made and sold extensively. The work of making pumpkin pills has been going on in various open spaces including the backyard since morning. From housewives to men and young and old, everyone makes pumpkin pills. As soon as you enter different villages of the upazila, you will see white rows of mats Pumpkin pills made of mascala.

The pills are being dried in the sun. Gautam Mahanta of Hatdhuma village of the upazila said, “Maskalai is the first to make pills It is soaked in water, rubbed and cleaned and pasted on a sealing machine. Later it is foamed and put in pills. There is a lot of trouble in this. Drying pills in the mild winter sun is quite a hassle.

Then if the sky is cloudy then there is no end to the worries. Because if the pill does not get proper sunlight, the real taste is lost. Housewife Sabita Rani said the pills are made by mixing masakalai, chalkumra, cumin, black cumin and anise. The pills are then sold in the sun for 2-3 days.

A small amount of light rice flour is mixed with it to harden the pill. Mizanur Rahman, who came to buy pumpkin pills at Omarpur Haat, said that all the ingredients for making these pills are nutritious. When the pills are broken and fried with onion, garlic and green chillies, excellent food is made.

Besides, eggplant, gourd, cauliflower, potato etc. cooked with pills taste different. Pumpkin pill seller Taslim Uddin said that the demand for pumpkin pills is increasing day by day but the profit has decreased a lot due to the increase in the price of the ingredients for making pills.

Pills cost around Rs 180 per kg. Retail 1 kg pills are sold at Rs. 200 and wholesale 1 kg pills are sold at Rs. 160-160.