If you haven’t had a litti-chokha, there is a good likelihood that ‘sattu’ may have the same sense of familiarity as berma (a kind of dry fish in Tripura). But in no way does the lack of stardom of this ancient instant food deride the role this first Indian Horlicks played in history— and the making of it.

Take the case of the 1999 Kargil War in the Batalik Sector. While the heroic win is a legend today, not many know that the win initially was achieved courtesy Ladakh Scouts. Raised in 1963, in the wake of the 1962 debacle against the Chinese forces, this hardly written about unit was instrumental in ensuring that not only the little battalion posted up there got their ammunition and information supply, but food as well— especially sattu.

For ages, this instant food made of roasted barley— with absolutely no expiry date—has been the secret behind this battle-worthy team. Also called ‘tsampa’— another form of sattu that is popular in north India, including Punjab— it is said to come from Tibet. For thousands of years, it has been the staple food for warriors and monks alike who had to go without proper food for a long time because they were either guarding the monastery or walking treacherous pathways.

A wholesome meal, sattu—especially the barley sattu— has been among the pious foods in Quran and goes by the name ‘saweeq’. Legend has it that Prophet Muhammad, on his way from Khyber (at Sadd-al-Rohaa’), rested in a village. In the morning, he said to one of his followers: “Whatever food a person has, he should bring it to us.” What came to the prophet’s table was ‘hais’— a delicious, filling, nourishing concoction made of dates and ‘saweeq’. It was an instant hit and soon became a blessed sweet to be offered during weddings and a part of the ration carried by Arab traders. Barley-based sattu is still a traditional breakfast in the interiors of Punjab, much like the roasted gram variety found in Bihar and Odisha.

In Bihar, sattu— much like smoked meat in North-East and pickled vegetables in the West— is considered a rainy day buffer purely because of its impressively long shelf life and, of course, the versatility. The beauty of sattu, says chef Manish Mehrotra (Indian Accent), “is that you can use it to make a variety of dishes- both cooked and uncooked- with incredible deliciousness.”An excellent example of this is the chef’s special sattu ka paratha— a traditional gourmet dish that he serves with katti dal and chokha. Another beautiful example of sattu is a cooling drink that can help you survive the killing summers of this region. Made with salt, sattu and a dash of lemon, this is thicker than shikanji and is the best coolant and digestive after a heavy Bundeli meal. Or, adds chef Mehrotra, “can substitute a good meal when you have little time and need all the nourishment”.

In 2002, it was no surprise then that a conference attended by physicians, held in Delhi, concluded that sattu is ideal for diabetic patients as it holds its own on what is called the ‘glycemic index’. The glycemic index ranks foods on how they affect our blood sugar levels. This index measures how much your blood sugar increases in the two to three hours after eating. If food containing lesser carbohydrates and higher levels of protein and fat are considered to be good for diabetic patients, sattu seems to possess the right combination.