Himachali Chulli Oil is a type of oil extracted from Wild apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) commonly known as Chulli, Chulu, Share or Zardalu and abundantly found in many parts of Himachal Pradesh. In Kinnaur District while Apricot is called ‘CHUL’ and Aru is ‘REG’ in the local dialect. A variety called sweet Kernel of the wild apricot is called ‘BIJA’.
Chulli is perishable in nature and its harvest season is short. Apricots are mostly used for preparation of different value added products. The stones/ pits left after processing is used for oil extraction. Apricot fruit’s stones yield kernels, which may be both sweet as well as bitter in taste. Both types of kernels can be utilized for extraction of oil.
Image credit: indiamart.com
Chulli oil is locally extracted for domestic use in almost all the households out of the kernels of the Chul, Reg after the age old process. Kernels of stones of apricot & Peaches are taken out & dried in the sun for 2‐3 days. Dried kernels are put into kaning (stone mortar) & pounded repeatedly with pestle to a thick paste.
Paste is then put into a cauldron & highly heated. Small cakes are made out of heated paste. Each cake is placed on the edge of the mortar & pressed with heavy hands so that oil starts oozing out of the cake & running into the mortar. The oil so obtained is conveyed from the mortar into a metal or an earthen ware locally called Ghagri.
Oil cakes are crumpled into small pieces & dried in the Sun for a couple of days & again subjected to the original process to get the remaining oil out of them. The oil cakes are then used as cattle food. Distilled or fermented liquor is prepared for household use by employing indigenous methods & implements out of all kinds of fruits & grains.
The physio‐chemical characteristics of Himachali Chulli oil reveal that it has higher concentration of Linoleic acid as compared to other Chulli oils. The Himachali chulli oil has a higher saponification value making it suitable for soap production and Poly Unsaturated Fatty acids (PUFA) so could be used as massage oil and pain reliever
The Chulli Oil (Apricot oil) is known to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Also it is important for skin, hair growth, and regulation of cholesterol metabolism. The Apricot oil can be used for both edible and pharmaceutical purposes.
GI Tag Registration Date : 04 March 2019
GI Tag Number : 468
Certificate Number : 338
Geographical Area : Himachal Pradesh
Special Cover Release Date : 25 December 2021
Cancellation : Reckong Peo 172 107
Type : GI Tag Cover
Cover Identification Number : HP/08/2021
Cover has images of Himachali Chulli Oil with Golden Foil borders and also with Golden letters. QR code provided at the back side of cover.
Enlarged View of Illustration
Enlarged View of Cancellation
Back Side Scan
India post has also issued commemorative postage stamps on Himachali Chulli Oil. Details of the same is furnished below.
Postage Stamp Extracted from Souvenir Sheet
"Geographical Indications : Agriculture Goods"
Issued on 13 February 2023
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