Most people have never heard of Fafra
Ask for buckwheat and most people know the name.
Ask for Fafra, and the answer is usually different.
It is one of those ingredients that remained familiar inside the mountains while becoming almost invisible outside them.
In the higher valleys of Himachal, Fafra has traditionally been ground into flour and used for simple foods — rotis, porridge and other everyday preparations.
It isn't flashy.
It doesn't come in a long list of varieties at the supermarket.
And that is exactly why it is worth talking about.
Because Fafra is not just another grain.
It is a grain that is still here because a few families kept growing it.
What exactly is Fafra?
Fafra is a Himalayan buckwheat traditionally grown in the mountain regions of Himachal Pradesh.
KOTHAR describes it as a close cousin of Ogla, another traditional Himalayan buckwheat, but with a slightly sharper flavour. The current KOTHAR batch is from Sungri Heights, Upper Shimla.
Once ground, Fafra produces a darker flour with a distinct character.
It can be used for:
- Rotis
- Porridge
- Pancakes
- Chilta
- Other traditional mountain preparations
The ingredient is simple.
The story behind it isn't.
Fafra and Ogla are not the same
This is an easy mistake to make.
Both belong to the buckwheat family.
Both have been part of Himalayan food traditions.
Both can be ground into flour.
But mountain communities have traditionally treated them as distinct grains.
KOTHAR describes Fafra as Ogla's close cousin, with a darker ground flour and a somewhat stronger, more bitter flavour.
That difference becomes especially noticeable when the flour is paired with something rich.
A little ghee.
A sharp pickle.
A bowl of thick dal.
Suddenly the stronger character of Fafra makes sense.
Why did Fafra almost disappear?
This is the more important question.
A crop doesn't disappear because people suddenly decide they don't like it.
Usually, something much simpler happens.
Another crop becomes easier.
Another flour becomes cheaper.
A traditional recipe is cooked less often.
And slowly, farmers stop saving seed.
KOTHAR describes Fafra as a “disappearing grain”, now grown in very small quantities by only a handful of families who kept the seed.
Once those families stop planting it, the crop doesn't simply become expensive.
It can disappear from the local food system altogether.
A grain suited to the mountains
Fafra belongs to a landscape where farming is not easy.
The terraces are small.
The growing season is limited.
And farmers have historically had to work with what the mountain gives them.
KOTHAR notes that Fafra is sown on higher terraces and requires very little water or agricultural input.
That makes traditional mountain crops particularly interesting.
They were not necessarily selected because they produced the biggest harvest.
They survived because they fit the place.
What does Fafra taste like?
If you are expecting the mild flavour of refined wheat flour, Fafra will surprise you.
It has more character.
The flour is darker.
The flavour is earthy and slightly bitter.
And that stronger taste is exactly why it works so well with rich, simple accompaniments.
Try Fafra with:
Ghee
Its richness balances the grain's stronger flavour.
Thick dal
A simple combination that makes the earthy character work.
Sharp pickle
The contrast between sour, spicy pickle and the grain is excellent.
Rajma
A natural pairing from the same mountain pantry.
KOTHAR itself recommends Fafra with ghee, thick dal and sharp pickle.
How people use Fafra
The easiest place to start is flour.
Ground Fafra can be used for a simple mountain-style roti.
It can also be cooked as a porridge or used in preparations where buckwheat flour is traditionally used.
And then there is chilta.
Chilta is a thin buckwheat pancake cooked on a pan and traditionally eaten with ghee or chutney. KOTHAR's Journal already documents chilta as one of the everyday uses of Himalayan buckwheat.
The important thing is not to overcomplicate it.
Fafra was never designed to be a complicated ingredient.
It was made for the everyday kitchen.
Why a little bitterness can be a good thing
Modern food is often designed to be immediately pleasant.
Sweet.
Smooth.
Mild.
Fafra is different.
Its slight bitterness is part of its identity.
It gives the grain enough personality to stand beside strong ingredients without disappearing.
A spoonful of ghee.
A little salt.
Some pickle.
And suddenly the grain makes sense.
You don't need to disguise it.
You need to cook it properly.
The seed matters more than the packet
This is where the story of Fafra becomes bigger than food.
KOTHAR's product page says the grain is currently grown in very small quantities by families who have kept the seed.
That means every harvest is doing two jobs.
It feeds people today.
And it keeps the possibility of growing Fafra tomorrow.
If nobody buys the crop, there is less reason to plant it.
If fewer people plant it, the seed becomes harder to find.
And once the seed disappears from a region, bringing the crop back is far harder than simply putting it on a product shelf.
Why KOTHAR carries Fafra
KOTHAR isn't trying to create a collection of unusual foods just because they sound interesting.
The idea behind the brand is much simpler.
The kothar was the place where a hill household stored what the season had given it — grains, pulses, ghee, dry fruit and other foods kept for later.
KOTHAR brings that idea into a modern pantry.
The brand currently works with 40+ families across Upper Shimla and Kinnaur, buying directly rather than through layers of middlemen.
Fafra fits naturally into that shelf.
Not because it is fashionable.
Because it was already there.
A grain worth keeping
There is something different about buying a disappearing crop.
You are not simply buying flour.
You are choosing to make space for something that could otherwise become irrelevant.
Maybe that sounds like too much weight to put on a small packet of grain.
But food traditions have always worked this way.
People keep cooking what people keep buying.
Farmers keep growing what people keep asking for.
Seeds survive when someone has a reason to save them.
Fafra doesn't need to become famous everywhere.
It just needs enough kitchens to remember it.
FROM THE KOTHAR PANTRY
Fafra
An heirloom Himalayan buckwheat from the higher terraces of Upper Shimla — darker, more distinctive and still grown in very small quantities.
See the product →KOTHAR's current Fafra batch is from Sungri Heights, Upper Shimla, and is limited to this season's harvest.
How to start cooking with Fafra
You don't need to change your entire kitchen.
Start small.
Make a simple Fafra roti.
Try it with ghee.
Add a little pickle.
Or cook it into a warm porridge.
Once you understand its flavour, you can start experimenting.
The best traditional foods rarely require complicated instructions.
They require good ingredients and a little familiarity.
