KAKINADA: India Post has released a special postal cover on pootharekulu (a popular paper-thin dessert believed to have its origins in Atreyapuram). As many as 1,000 covers have been printed and distributed to all head post offices in the district.
“More covers will be supplied based on orders. They will not be sold to individuals, but to groups during important events. Each cover will cost Rs 20 and an additional Rs 5 will have to be paid towards weightage postal charge,” Amalapuram postal superintendent PVLNV Bala Satyanarayana said.
The sweet is wrapped in a wafer-thin layer of rice starch resembling paper and stuffed with jaggery or sugar laced with dry fruits and nuts. The sweet is a highly popular item on occasion of festivals and weddings.
“The delicacy has a special place in people’s hearts across the world. Tasting it can be an experience in itself. Pootharekulu is the source of livelihood for an entire region, especially for the women,” said M
Subrahmanyam, a trader from Atreyapuram, adding the sweet is even supplied to Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.Around 500 families are dependent on making and marketing the sweet, said N Srinivas, a local.