Shimla, Jan 21 : People living in the upper reaches in Himachal Pradesh, which gets heavy snowfall during the winters have devised a unique method of storing meat by drying it and smearing it with spices to prevent it from putrefying.

The roads to these hilly areas are blocked due to heavy snowfall during winter. Therefore people in Himachal Pradesh start collecting their food well in advance.

"There are two months of extreme cold, we chop the meat and store it in cold places. We get the ration for winters. We eat it with the dry meat in winters which is also good to eat," said Sardar Singh, a villager.

This method helps them preserve food for long winters, which continue from November to April. This tradition is a necessity for the people here.

The dry meat can be preserved for months together without getting stale because of the climatic conditions that prevail in the state.

"Temperature in hilly areas is very low so we first dry it, and once it is dried it does not get stale due to cold temperature. Therefore, it is kept hanging and later people eat and relish the taste," said Lek Raj, another resident. (ANI)