Besan

Details

Besan milled from desi Bengal gram grown around Bikaner and Nagaur in Rajasthan, taken from one source per lot so we know exactly what went into the mill, and milled in a temperature-controlled food-grade plant. The cheat in besan is khesari dal, lathyrus sativus. It costs less than gram, it is indistinguishable once ground, and the ODAP it carries is what causes lathyrism, an irreversible paralysis of the lower limbs, which is why blending it in undeclared is adulteration and why every lot here is screened for it. The other two are cheap starch to bulk the bag out and metanil yellow, a non-permitted coal-tar dye, to force the yellow that shoppers expect.

• No khesari dal, lathyrus sativus, screened per lot
• No added starch, maize flour or matar pea flour
• No maida and no added gluten
• No metanil yellow and no artificial colour of any kind
• No anti-caking agent and no preservative
• One source per lot, desi gram only, never a mill blend
• The yellow is a muted natural gram yellow and shifts a little between lots, because nothing is added to hold it steady
• Sieve it before use, there is nothing in it to stop it lumping in the monsoon