VIJAYAWADA: Months after Atreyapuram Pootharekulu was awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag, the delicacy will soon be available in major retail stores across the country. The Government of India awarded the GI tag to the ‘paper sweet’ in February under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration & Protection) Rules, 2022. The tag will help people easily identify the authentic Atreyapuram Pootharekulu anywhere.
In December 2021, Sir Arthur Cotton Atreyapuram Manufacturers’ Welfare Association had applied for the GI tag. The Andhra Pradesh Food Processing Society (APFPS), the nodal agency for developing the food processing sector in the State, then collaborated with the Association to develop the cluster.
Pootharekulu, also known as paper sweet, has a history of 300 years. Manufactured at Atreyapuram mandal in East Godavari district, this melt-in-the-mouth dessert is preservative-free and made with rice sheets, sugar or jaggery, desi ghee and dry fruits. The rice is procured locally from the paddy cultivation belt of Konaseema. Nowadays, the sweet dish is also customised with a stuffing of chocolate powder or even hot and spicy variations.
While the ingredients of this one-of-a-kind dish are simple, making it is a labour-intensive art that has been mastered by women in almost every household in Atreyapuram, thereby empowering them to bring bread to the table.