Dung cakes still fuel rural kitchens in Madhes

By Sudha Deo,Bharadah (Saptari), Dec. 21: In rural parts of Madhes, including Saptari, many households still rely on guintha (dried dung cakes) made by women, for cooking.

In villages across Saptari and the wider Madhes region, women continue to use dung cakes prepared from cow and buffalo dung as a primary cooking fuel. 

Locals said women usually make these cakes from December to March and use them throughout the year for cooking meals.

Amoliya Devi Yadav, 60, of Hanumannagar Kankalini Municipality-6, said dung cakes made from cow and buffalo dung have been used in rural kitchens since long ago and remain a main cooking fuel even today.

“I started making dung cakes when I was 12 and I have been doing it every year since then. All the food cooked in our kitchen is prepared using dung cakes,” she said.

Phulo Devi Sah of the same area said that dung cakes are used not only by poor and disadvantaged families but also by well-off households. “Apart from tea and snacks, most meals are still cooked using dung cakes,” she said. 

She added that in rural Madhes, many middle-aged and elderly women spend winter mornings making dung cakes in the warm sunlight.

She explained that cow and buffalo dung is collected and stored in pits from May/June. From December, January to March, women make and dry 10 to 20 dung cakes daily, which are then used as fuel throughout the year. 

“This allows us to cook tasty and healthy food, saves money that would otherwise be spent on firewood, and makes good use of dung,” she said. Dung cakes are also sold locally at prices ranging from Rs. 8 to Rs. 10 per piece.