Avare Mela@25: A drive to stop food waste turns into one of Bengaluru’s biggest food festivals

Avrebele Mela was inaugurated by Karnataka Chalanchitra Academy on January 03, 2013. Photo Credit: File photo

It was the year 1995 in Bengaluru when farmers from Magadi brought Awarekai and Aware Bele to sell in the southern parts of the city. Since beans are not popular among the residents, about 50 percent of what they bring will be wasted.

After seeing the farmer throwing away the beans (hidkid bales) he was carrying after going about his business throughout the day, Geeta Shivakumar, a nearby resident, asked her to sell the leftovers to make food. He made syauri from Avere and started selling it under the brand of Shree Vasavi Condiments.

Five years later, in 2000, Ms. Sivakumar came up with the idea of ​​organizing a small fair with food items made from Avere to benefit and celebrate the farmers she bought from. Aware Nippattu, Chikki, Mixture and Awarekalu Saru were some of the star dishes of the fair. And thus, Avare Mela, one of Bengaluru’s most awaited food events in recent times, was born.

With the 25th edition being held from December 27, 2024 to January 5, 2025 at the National College Grounds, the fair has now reached a historic place.

In the first Avere Mela, around 10 dishes will be available, now for the 25th edition, a total of 125 dishes will be available. “We have this ritual where we add a new dish to the menu every year. This is the 25th year, we have added 25 new dishes including Averekalu Mayonnaise, Averekalu Pasta and Averekalu Chocolate. We have Avere in both the gourmet menu and the bakery menu,” Swathi said. Ms. Shivakumar’s daughter and fair organizer K.S.

Started as a small program with four farmers, it has now grown into a large program whose attendance in the previous edition was around four lakh with more than 500 farmers.

Vasanna, a farmer from Magadi, was one of the first four and is still supplying beans for the fair. Taking a trip down memory lane, he said, “Back then, people in Bengaluru didn’t know any recipe for aware except for awarekalu saru. If we bring 100 serus (measuring device) of aware bell, we throw away about 50 serus. Then began our association with Vasavi Condiments. 2000 A kilo of awray bale was priced at 20 – 25 rupees and now, the same quantity A kilo is being sold at 250-300, almost 10 times more. The quantity of Avere bale used in the fair used to be around 300-500 kg, but now it has reached tons.

Over the years, the fair was held around the popular food street of VV Puram until 2023 when it was shifted to the National College grounds due to growing crowds.

He added, “There are a lot of people working behind the scenes to bring aware to the table in Bengaluru. There are no chemicals or machines to help peel the aware. Women do it at home and then come to the market. We want people to know about their efforts.”