Bhim Kol Dil

Bhim Kol and Kol Dil of Assam

🌱 What is Bhim Kol?

Bhim Kol is a famous indigenous banana variety from Assam, well known for its:

• Large size

• High nutritional value

• Rich use in traditional Assamese cuisine and medicine

Unlike regular bananas, Bhim Kol is not usually eaten raw because it’s quite starchy and firm. It is boiled or cooked before eating and is especially popular during recovery from illness or as a baby food due to its digestive and strengthening properties.

💛 What is Kol Dil?

In Assamese, “Dil” often refers to the core or heart of something. So “Kol Dil” means the inner part or heart of the banana tree — specifically of the Bhim Kol plant.

🌿 Kol Dil: The Inner Stem

• Kol Dil is the inner stem of the banana plant (also called banana pseudostem).

• It’s a traditional ingredient in Assamese cooking, often used to make dishes like:

  • Kol Dil Bhaji (a sautéed dish)

  • Kol Dil Pitika (mashed with mustard oil and green chillies)

  • Kol Dil with pulses or fish

🧘‍♀️ Health Benefits

Kol Dil is valued for its medicinal properties:

• Aids digestion

• Helps in detoxifying the body

• Believed to help with kidney stones and urinary tract health

• Low in calories and rich in fiber

🌾 Cultural and Practical Use

• Every part of the banana plant, especially Bhim Kol, is used in Assamese rural life — from the fruit, leaves, stem, to even the flower (kol phool).

• Kol Dil is usually harvested when the plant has finished fruiting and is chopped, peeled, and cleaned before cooking.