Gundruk
Encyclopedia
Gundruk (Nepali
) is fermented
leafy green vegetable and is a popular food in Nepal
and claimed to be one of the national dishes. It is popular not only in Nepal but also in the Himalayan
region. The annual production of gundruk in Nepal is estimated at 2,000 tons and most of the production is carried out at the household level. Gundruk is obtained from the fermentation
of leafy vegetable
s . It is served as a side dish with the main meal and is also used as an appetizer. Gundruk is an important source of minerals particularly during the off-season when the diet
consists of mostly starch
y tuber
s and maize
which tend to be low in mineral
s.
of the first broad mustard
, radish
and cauliflower
leaves, large quantities of leaves accumulate — much more than can be consumed fresh. These leaves are allowed to wilt for one or two days and then shredded with a knife or sickle.
Not only the leaves of the radish, the roots are also used to make a better quality gundruk. The roots of radish can be mixed with the leaves and smashed together. When it is smashed, care should be taken not to make pieces too small. In mountaineous regions of central part of Nepal, the smashed Radish and leaves are put into a earthenwares, compressed, and the mouth of container is closed tightly. It is then buried in safe and sunny place. It may be placed in an open place. After a few days, the acidity can be tasted or when it is ready, it can readily be known from it's smell as well.It is then dried in sunlight. Thus made gundruk is more tasty, more flavorous and more acidic.
production except that no salt is added to the shredded leaves before the start of gundruk fermentation. The ambient temperature at the time of fermentation is about 18°C. Pediococcus
and Lactobacillus
species are the predominant microorganism
s active during gundruk fermentation. During fermentation, the pH
drops slowly to a final value of 4.0 and the amount of acid (as lactic
) increases to about 1% on the sixth day. It has been found that a disadvantage with the traditional process of gundruk fermentation is the loss of 90% of the carotenoid
s, probably during sun-drying. Improved methods of drying might reduce the vitamin loss.
Nepali language
Nepali or Nepalese is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar...
) is fermented
Fermentation
Fermentation may refer to:* Fermentation , the use of fermentation in food preparation* Fermentation , a metabolic process whereby electrons released from nutrients are ultimately transferred to molecules obtained from the breakdown of those same nutrients* Fermentation , the process of...
leafy green vegetable and is a popular food in Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
and claimed to be one of the national dishes. It is popular not only in Nepal but also in the Himalayan
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
region. The annual production of gundruk in Nepal is estimated at 2,000 tons and most of the production is carried out at the household level. Gundruk is obtained from the fermentation
Fermentation (food)
Fermentation in food processing typically is the conversion of carbohydrates to alcohols and carbon dioxide or organic acids using yeasts, bacteria, or a combination thereof, under anaerobic conditions. Fermentation in simple terms is the chemical conversion of sugars into ethanol...
of leafy vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
s . It is served as a side dish with the main meal and is also used as an appetizer. Gundruk is an important source of minerals particularly during the off-season when the diet
Diet (nutrition)
In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. With the word diet, it is often implied the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management...
consists of mostly starch
Starch
Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...
y tuber
Tuber
Tubers are various types of modified plant structures that are enlarged to store nutrients. They are used by plants to survive the winter or dry months and provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing season and they are a means of asexual reproduction...
s and maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
which tend to be low in mineral
Dietary mineral
Dietary minerals are the chemical elements required by living organisms, other than the four elements carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen present in common organic molecules. Examples of mineral elements include calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, zinc, and iodine...
s.
Raw material preparation
In the months of October and November, during the harvestHarvest
Harvest is the process of gathering mature crops from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper...
of the first broad mustard
Mustard plant
Mustards are several plant species in the genera Brassica and Sinapis whose small mustard seeds are used as a spice and, by grinding and mixing them with water, vinegar or other liquids, are turned into the condiment known as mustard or prepared mustard...
, radish
Radish
The radish is an edible root vegetable of the Brassicaceae family that was domesticated in Europe, in pre-Roman times. They are grown and consumed throughout the world. Radishes have numerous varieties, varying in size, color and duration of required cultivation time...
and cauliflower
Cauliflower
Cauliflower is one of several vegetables in the species Brassica oleracea, in the family Brassicaceae. It is an annual plant that reproduces by seed...
leaves, large quantities of leaves accumulate — much more than can be consumed fresh. These leaves are allowed to wilt for one or two days and then shredded with a knife or sickle.
Not only the leaves of the radish, the roots are also used to make a better quality gundruk. The roots of radish can be mixed with the leaves and smashed together. When it is smashed, care should be taken not to make pieces too small. In mountaineous regions of central part of Nepal, the smashed Radish and leaves are put into a earthenwares, compressed, and the mouth of container is closed tightly. It is then buried in safe and sunny place. It may be placed in an open place. After a few days, the acidity can be tasted or when it is ready, it can readily be known from it's smell as well.It is then dried in sunlight. Thus made gundruk is more tasty, more flavorous and more acidic.
Processing
The shredded leaves are tightly packed in an earthenware pot, and warm water (at about 30°C) is added to cover all the leaves. The pot is then kept in a warm place. After five to seven days, a mild acidic taste indicates the end of fermentation and the gundruk is removed and sun-dried. This process is similar to sauerkrautSauerkraut
Sauerkraut , directly translated from German: "sour cabbage", is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus. It has a long shelf-life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid...
production except that no salt is added to the shredded leaves before the start of gundruk fermentation. The ambient temperature at the time of fermentation is about 18°C. Pediococcus
Pediococcus
Pediococcus is a genus of Gram-positive lactic acid bacteria, placed within the family of Lactobacillaceae. They usually occur in pairs or tetrads, and divide along two planes of symmetry, as do the other lactic acid cocci genera Aerococcus and Tetragenococcus. They are purely homofermentative...
and Lactobacillus
Lactobacillus
Lactobacillus is a genus of Gram-positive facultative anaerobic or microaerophilic rod-shaped bacteria. They are a major part of the lactic acid bacteria group, named as such because most of its members convert lactose and other sugars to lactic acid. They are common and usually benign...
species are the predominant microorganism
Microorganism
A microorganism or microbe is a microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters, or no cell at all...
s active during gundruk fermentation. During fermentation, the pH
PH
In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...
drops slowly to a final value of 4.0 and the amount of acid (as lactic
Lactic acid
Lactic acid, also known as milk acid, is a chemical compound that plays a role in various biochemical processes and was first isolated in 1780 by the Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele. Lactic acid is a carboxylic acid with the chemical formula C3H6O3...
) increases to about 1% on the sixth day. It has been found that a disadvantage with the traditional process of gundruk fermentation is the loss of 90% of the carotenoid
Carotenoid
Carotenoids are tetraterpenoid organic pigments that are naturally occurring in the chloroplasts and chromoplasts of plants and some other photosynthetic organisms like algae, some bacteria, and some types of fungus. Carotenoids can be synthesized fats and other basic organic metabolic building...
s, probably during sun-drying. Improved methods of drying might reduce the vitamin loss.