Kanji is a

fermented drink This is a list of fermented foods, which are foods produced or preserved by the action of microorganisms. In this context, Fermentation in food processing, fermentation typically refers to the fermentation of sugar to ethanol, alcohol using yeas ...

, originating from the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

, made in India for the festival of

Holi Holi (), also known as the Festival of Colours, the Festival of Spring, and the Festival of Love,The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...". is an ancient Hindu religious festival ...

. Kanji is made with water,

black carrot The carrot (''Daucus carota'' subsp. ''sativus'') is a root vegetable, typically orange in color, though purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist, all of which are domesticated forms of the wild carrot, ''Daucus carota'', nati ...

beetroot The beetroot is the taproot portion of a beet plant, usually known in North America as beets while the vegetable is referred to as beetroot in British English, and also known as the table beet, garden beet, red beet, dinner beet or golden beet ...

mustard seed Mustard seeds are the small round seeds of various mustard plants. The seeds are usually about in diameter and may be colored from yellowish white to black. They are an important spice in many regional foods and may come from one of three diff ...

s and heeng. It may be served with

boondi Boondi is an Indian snack made from fried chickpea flour, either as a savory snack or sweetened as a dessert. In Sindh, the dish is referred to as ''Nukti'' ( sd, نڪتي, Dhatki: نڪتي , नुक्ती). In Rajsthan, the dish is ref ...

sprinkled on top. Nutritionally, kanji is high in antioxidants. Eleven strains of

probiotic Probiotics are live microorganisms promoted with claims that they provide health benefits when consumed, generally by improving or restoring the gut microbiota. Probiotics are considered generally safe to consume, but may cause bacteria-host i ...

bacteria have been isolated from kanji, with the strain ''

Pediococcus acidilactici ''Pediococcus acidilactici'' is a species of Gram-positive cocci that is often found in pairs or tetrads. ''P. acidilactici'' is a homofermentative bacterium that can grow in a wide range of pH, temperature, and osmotic pressure, therefore bein ...

'' genotypically characterised with high growth potential.

References

Indian drinks Holi Uttar Pradeshi cuisine {{india-cuisine-stub

See also

References