The strange dish made scientists have to test DNA

Ram Kand Mool is sold on every street, but when asked about the origin, not a single seller refuses to reveal.

Ram Kand Mool is a famous snack that has regularly appeared on street corners in India in the past few decades. It is cylindrical, red shell, ivory white inside, looks like a drum. When a customer comes to buy, the seller will peel off the skin, then slice a thin slice, rub lemon on top and put it on an old newspaper.

This dish is advertised as the only source of food that the god Rama relied on to survive, after he was exiled to the forest with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman. Vendors recommend that it helps cool down summer days, quench hunger and thirst. They can even help relieve your pain. Ram Kand Mool is served with all kinds of spices, from chili, salt, lemon and sugar.

Indian botanists have been paying attention to the dish since the 1980s, but have not been able to determine exactly what plant it is. They took the time to ask the sales people, but all of them received unsatisfactory answers. Some sellers refused to disclose, others said that they also bought from a third party, and did not know where the factory that produced this dish came from. Others say that this is the stem, others claim it is a tuber. Botanists had to bring questions to scientists. The strange thing is that even science cannot give a 100% sure answer.

Indian food journalist and blogger, Bartha Kumari, once explained on Atlas Obscura the mystery of the food's origin. In 1994, botanist Dr. Koppula Hemadri set out to travel across the country to uncover the mystery. The search ended, Hemadri believed that this was agave (Agave). But like other colleagues, he said it was impossible to give firm proof that Ram Kand Mool was made from this plant.

Each Ram Kand Mool can weigh up to 300kg.

At the same time, Dr. Ali Moulali tried to "bribe" a vendor of this street food for 1,000-2,000 Rupees ($14-27), to reveal the origin of the dish. After a moment of hesitation, the man said that Ram Kand Mool's ingredient was Kitta Nara, the name used to describe Sister Thua. This person added that the dish is not made from roots, but from something that grows on the ground.

By 2010, the answer to the question: "What is Ram Kand Mool really made of" gradually became clear. The scientists conducted a DNA test on a thin slice of the dish. The results show that it has DNA that matches the DNA of Acacia up to 89%. This plant contains alkaloids (a group of natural organic compounds, found in many plants of the Cacao family, the Opium family.). Therefore, if eaten in large quantities, it will be very toxic. That's why sellers only supply buyers in thin slices.

In 2011, scientists narrowed down the audience, and pointed out that the specific plant used to make this dish is agave sisalana (Cuban yarn or pineapple). Ram Kand Mool is the body. A paper on this important discovery was published in a scientific journal that same year. But, the story is not over.

Because there are so many different species of Dumplings, scientists can't pinpoint the exact source of this famous street snack, it could be Sislana or Americana (American pineapple) or an alien species. is different. "We can't conclude until the suppliers show us firsthand the factory they use to produce this dish," said Dr. Vinod B. Shimpale. But of course, no business owner of this dish revealed it to the scientific world, because they wanted to keep the business secret and create a mystery around this dish as a form of promotion and sales promotion.

Close-up of the cake called Ram Kand Mool.

Keeping the origin of dishes a secret is almost a key feature of businesses. Even Maharashtra state officials have tracked street vendors to find the source of the problem, but all failed. The purchase of this product in large quantities is never accepted by the manufacturer, nor is it ever disclosed any information related to the dish. These are considered "taboo". "Ask anything but this as no one will tell you the correct answer. This is a trade secret," said seller Ram Kand Mool.

However, not everyone agrees on the origin of the dish. Wikipedia describes Ram Kand Mool as the root of the shrub Maerua oblongifolia. However, the website also admits that the ingredients are brought to the place of production in a very secret way. And botanists still have doubts about the origin of the dish, and so far, no one has been able to answer exactly what Ram Kand Mool really is.