Petition filed for Ooty Varkey’s GI recognition

Chennai: A petition has been filed in Geographical Indications Registry, Chennai seeking covered Geographical Indications status for crispy Ooty Varkey. The Britishers introduced the cookie during their colonial rule in Nilgiris.

President of Ooty Varkey Producers Welfare Association, K. Mohamed Farooq has submitted the petition to Assistant Registrar, Trade Marks and Geographical Indications Registry, Chinnaraja G. Naidu.

In the petition, Farooq submitted that the association was engaged in protecting the interests of Ooty Varkey producers in Nilgiris.

Members of the society are also engaged in promoting Ooty Varkey in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.  About five tonnes of Ooty Varkey are made every day and the annual turnover has been estimated at Rs 6 crore. The brown cookie has been known for its unique and distinct taste. It takes about 12 hours to make Ooty Varkey and has a shelf life of 20 days.

Ooty Varkey originates from popular hills stations Udhagamandalam in Nilgiri hills, the Blue Mountain range stretching along the borders of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.

The name Udhagamandalam has been derived from – Ottai kalmandu, (single stone), a sacred stone worshipped by local Toda tribal people. The name Nilgiri has been derived from ‘Nila’, moon.

The earliest known history of Nilgiris goes back about 800 years. The King of Hoymlas Vishnu Vardhana, who ruled from 1104 to 1141 AD, had seized the Nilgiris Plateau. Priest Rev Jacome Forico was the first European to visit Nilgiris in 1603.

Over the years, the Nilgiris came into possession of East India Company as a part of the land ceded by Tipu Sultan, by treaty of Sri Rangapat tanam in 1799. During the British Raj, Ooty served as the summer capital of the Madras Presidency from 1870.

During colonial rule, Britishers, who settled in Nilgiris, were making their foodstuff and delicacies like biscuits, cakes, cookies, bread and bun. They developed a new type of cookie, now it is known as Ooty Varkey.

After the Britishers left India, many new bakeries sprung up in Nilgiris and Ooty Varkey became a main item in all these bakeries.

It has been baked in Ootacamund, Ooty, Coonoor, Kothagiri, Aruvankadu, Gudalur, Manjoor, Wellington, Kundahand Pandalur.

Highlighting the importance of cookie associated with Nilgiris, the petitioner prayed the Registry to accord GI status to it.