Eat on a plate with a spoon, and after you are
done, just chew up the plate and spoon as
well. Yes, you read that right. The concept of
edible cutlery isn’t exactly new to Hyderabad.
In fact edible spoons and plates have been in
the city for some time, first introduced as
cutlery made with a ragi flour mix. To
introduce variety and cater to different types
of food we eat , Narayana Peesapaty the
Founder of Bakeys edible cutlery has increased
the range to include fork, soup spoons and
chopsticks as well. These come in sweet, sour
and salted flavours. Bakeys also has cutlery of
spicy and non-spicy variety.
Envisioned as an alternative to disposable
cutlery, edible cutlery addresses Narayana’s
concern for the environment and depleting
ground water levels in the city. His millet-
based cutlery is a good option for parties,
outdoor catering, picnics and to introduce
children to the concern of plastic use, he says,
adding, “If one doesn’t want to eat them
because they are quite dry, cows and goats will
polish them up. This way no one is wasting
money or harming the environment.”
Speaking of other flavours he says, “I tried the
same idea with the use of chocolate flavour.
But, that wasn’t a success because the flavour
and use of chocolate cannot bring down the
moisture level to our requirement. Our
products are hard because we reduce the
moisture level to the minimum; just the
amount required to keep things in place.” They
are made to withstand even hot liquid
conditions for a considerable period. Unlike
biscuits, they do not drop off when dipped in
liquids
Narayana mostly uses jowar (sorghum) these
days instead of ragi (finger millets) because
jowar allows different flavours to be mixed
with it and unlike ragi, it doesn’t have an
overpowering taste. The cutlery also serves the
purpose of promoting millets for consumption.
As a result, “Farmers gets encouraged to
cultivate millets which require very less water”
explains Narayana.
These cutlery are made to withstand even hot
liquid conditions for a considerable period.
Unlike biscuits, they do not drop off when
dipped in liquids. Bakeys’ manufacturing unit
produces them in state of art machines with
no use of hands.
Working on bringing down the use of plastic
further, Narayan is working on packing boxes
made of popped jowar and corn. “The idea is at
a nascent stage but it looks possible. Jowar and
corn puff sheets will act as perfect packaging
substitute for its cushion effect,” says
Narayana.
Source: http://m.thehindu.com/features/metr...poons-forks-and-chopsticks/article8154697.ece
