PESHAWAR: Decades ago, when cookies, burgers, biscuits, chips and many other readymade foods were not available for children in the market, parents would cook traditional dishes for them to satisfy their hunger and also to fulfil their nutritional needs.

The occasional seasonal fruits and crops grown in the fields and gardens of the villages would remain an adventure for children and even teenagers as they would secretly raid fields or enter a fruit bearing trees garden and would get away with a handful of stuff for a quick tasty meal.

A photo showcasing ‘Daadha’ went viral on social media recently when Afghan Ambassador Dr Omar Zakhilwal while sharing his views tweeted in English: “Looks like a real Dadha -- brought back sweet memories of childhood & village.”

Noted poet Prof Abaseen Yousafzai said that Daadha was still teenagers’ misadventure rather than an adventure but a good treat as well. “The season of Daadha Achawal -- roasting corn on the cobs has already set in remote villages, one can still see this beautiful sight which is good enough to refresh one’s childhood fond memories,” he added.

Daadha, a sweet childhood experience, is still intact in the province. A group of teenagers pick down corn in husks and put it on the fire of dry twigs.

In just 15 to 20 minutes, semi-ripe corns are ready for a delicious quick meal under a shady place alongside a running stream.

Zareen Gul, 75, a resident of Badhber village near Peshawar, told this scribe that roasting of corn used to be an innocent adventure as most farmers would at times get angry over infringing of children and if caught on picking down the corns in the green fields would get a mild caution.

Recalling his own childhood, he said that he along with his village-mates would scale the hedges of a maize crop field and stealthily get away with corncobs.

Mr Gul said that it was not considered a bad thing. However, he said that farmers would not openly allow picking of corncobs for fear of ruthless treading down of crop by children.

He said in the southern districts including tribal belt, Daadha of corn was least known because normally people in those areas roasted gram, wheat cobs and peanuts and called it Trarra.

“But the process is the same. Some people in Swat, Shangla, Kohistan, Swabi and Buner called the roasting of gram, peanuts and even corncobs as Trarra but the words ‘Dooma’ and ‘Bandara’ are also used for Daadha in areas of Buner and Swabi districts. It is more common in Dir, Malakand, Mardan, Nowshera, and Charasadda but in and around Peshawar, locals commonly call it Batai,” said the elderly man.

Tariq Afghan, a social activist, said that he still enjoyed Daadha with his children in his village in Dir. He said that corncobs were rich in carbohydrates and other nutrients and good for health. He said that the yellow corns were more delicious than the hybrid maize corns.

“While still a teenager, one day I along with my two other friends picked down corns from our cousin’s field where Guldaa Kaka, an old watchman, caught us red-handed, scolded us for infringing the maize crop field but after a while took us to a corner of the field and advised us how to pick down corns without treading the crop,” said Mr Afghan.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2018