In India, kanji is more than food; it is a social practice, a medicinal comfort, and an ecological memory of rice cultivation. The preparation of kanji encodes knowledge of rice varieties, seasonal rhythms, fermentation, and the gendered labour of caregiving. Yet, despite this richness, kanji and similar forms of everyday food knowledge rarely figure within the frameworks of traditional knowledge protection in India.

Across South and Southeast Asia, rice porridge is a humble yet enduring symbol of nourishment. Known variously as kanji in South India, congee in English, bubur in Indonesia, or jook in China, it is among the simplest and most adaptive foods, prepared in countless regional forms. Beneath its simplicity, however, lies a complex web of traditional knowledge in the form of culinary, medicinal, agricultural, and cultural knowledge that continues to be transmitted orally across generations.

To continue reading, become a subscriber.

Explore our attractive subscription offers.

To gain instant access to this article (download).

(Readers outside India)

© EPW