pericarp into two parts and the seed drops out. This 
shelling is done when the fruits are fresh and before they 
dry up. 
The curing process consists of boiling or cooking the 
seeds. he shelled seeds are placed in copper or earthen 
vessels with enough water to cover the seeds. For the first 
charge, a small quantity of the previous year’s extrac- 
tion, a decoction called chongaru, is added; or in the 
absence of chongaru, a few pieces of the fresh bark of 
Syzygium Cumini, Pterocarpus santalinus, Ficus religi- 
osa, or other trees. Nobody seems to have considered 
why these barks or chongaru are added to the first charge. 
They may be likened to catalytic agents in chemical reac- 
tions, and I suppose they are added to aid the tannin 
reaction and the release of the same in the process of 
cooking. In some cases a small quantity of sesame oil is 
added. The charge is then heated to the boiling point. 
The seeds are boiled until the tiny embryo drops out and 
then they are removed by means of perforated ladles and 
are dried for about a week. There are various modifica- 
tions in this process of cooking. Unhusked fruits may be 
boiled and then husked, sliced and dried; or the seeds 
after husking may be cut into halves and cured, or sliced 
into smaller pieces and then cured. Sometimes various 
spices and jaggary are added during the boiling process 
to increase the taste and aroma of the nuts. ‘‘Occasion- 
ally the kernels are reboiled in milk to cater to fastidious 
tastes. ”’ 
After three or four charges have been boiled in the 
same decoction, the extract becomes semi-liquid; on 
drying, this becomes a solid substance which is sold as 
kath (cutch). 
Seeds which are left whole during drying are called 
unde-adike; the ones that are cut into cup-shaped halves 
and dried are called battalu adike; those that are cut 
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