Salted Stegosaurus Máms Ká Katiá

Passed down by word of mouth by the tribal groups in the Sindhu region of northern India, the story of the Máms Ká Katiá seems to be ancient even in the 9th Century. Believed to have started after groups of hunters & gatherers in the mountainous regions mention a hidden cavern in a cold windswept canyon deep within the mountains. There, covered by tough mountain plants, and an icy waterfall, it appears to have been where earthquakes are common.

Once exploring there, a group of hunters sought shelter from a snowstorm within the mouth of the cavern after trying to get potable water at the base of the waterfall. They noticed that both the storm was moving in fast, and the water from the waterfall seemed to go somewhere behind the falling water. Going in they found a long crack running about near three miles down at an angle. A steady thick stream of icy water poured down it in the centre.

They moved down further until they felt a warmer climate about half a mile from the end, and a large opening.

Looking out, the stream of water poured into a large pool here, and the place they found appeared to be a hidden valley in the mountains that seemed far warmer than what it should be. Looking around, they found that a large river ran from the pool taking in other streams and many strange plants & animals appeared to thrive here. Many of these, even the insects, were massive in comparison to similar animals they had seen elsewhere.

One thing stood out though, the valley widened out and dipped down. Climbing a tree, a couple of the hunters reported seeing the centre of a huge tract of land with a large lake in the middle and animals that looked like reptiles of extreme size here & there. Strange noises & calls could be heard here and there, and the lake looked as if there was a a small ring of land at the centre above the waterline giving off smoke.

After noticing it was starting to get dark, the hunters bedded down for the night finding the area warm & balmy. They kept watch and noticed many of the nocturnal creatures, mainly arthropods, approached without fear and as if they had never encountered humans before.

Come morning and felling that they had spent too long here, the hunters packed up and decided to go home. Though they had little in the way of kills, at least they survived and found this place to come back to.

After refilling their waterskins, they heard something thunderous coming to the river they were beside. A small herd of huge animals appeared. A mix of young and adults they were four-legged and had a double row of large bony plates running down their backs and their tails ended in two bony spikes jutting from either side.

Trapped ,the hunters decided to enter the water, go upstream a bit and come back on land. When they did, one of them had an idea. Because the creatures had no contact with their own kind the hunters should be able to walk up to one of the smaller stegosaurus and kill it easily with a spear to the heart while it drank water.

This they did, and one of the young was killed. The rest of the herd panicked, crashing their way through the forested land until they were distant. Cutting plenty of meat, along with a couple of the plates and spikes as well as thick hide, they left knowing that they could come back here some day.

Eventually leaving with their prize they made the trek home. This proved far easier after the weather outside had abated.

Telling their story and marking the outside of the cave system with rocks and red ochre, they had a feast. The leaders got first pick of the spoils with parts given in honour to the hunters.

The plates and spikes made useful shields and spears, and knowing they could get more it turned that many of their warriors had a number armed like this after a few years. The leaders dressed in all manner of finery made from skins, hides and other body parts over time gleaned from the cave.

One thing was always prized though

Where possible meat from a stegosaurus had to be brought back. This marked a successful hunt, and some of the gathers would bring herbs & spices from the cave too adding a unique dish that now sadly doesn't exist any more.

What happened is that the region is prone to earthquakes that regularly changed the landscape and made it difficult if not impossible to find the cave after a few centuries. A local story tells of a number of different tribes all based in the region soon learned of it, and stories of others preferring to hunt other animals soon surfaced.

This dish became the most well-known due to it being first and being established before any other.

Also, after it seemed to disappear, the majority of those with the knowledge of the cave and what lies within passed on leaving oral stories that were eventually wrote down but hopelessly corrupted as such tales do. There are recipes still out there, but again corrupted with many of the original components altered due to what was available.

The story of how Máms Ká Katiá came to be and it's alternatives can be found in the whole Sindhi region and the odd tale linked to the old Indus Valley civilisation culture who interacted with them. if anything there are stories of trading in the Stegosaurs parts, especially the meat that was classed as a delicacy if prepared right. If not it was classed as tough and similar to beef .The amount of these stories in the region is sometimes phenomenal and most communities have at least one or two tales concerning it.

Saying that, rival families in some of these communities state they are descended of the first hunters to make it in and return. At times it nearly leads to bloodshed, others more biting remarks and jokes about who was the best. A few claim to still have weapons and armour from those times charging a fortune to the inquisitive to see them.

Nearly all have what they class as the "original" recipe passed down to the dominant patriarch & matriarch in each extended family group. These can vary widely in details and ingredients.

Most stories concern the stegosaurus, while a smaller number concern other animals ranging from triceratops to huge predators. Most look upon it as a fun story and a way to try to tie them to how the recipe first came about. It also helps to explain how the "bones" of such creatures can be found in the rocks of the mountains. Most will say that these are the bones of the animal that their ancestors killed and left stripped of the meat, and other useful bits, before being brought home for cooking.

Though they may say this, it is likely these skeletons and bones are the fossilised remains of long extinct creature. For most outsiders it's a nice story as they try the local delicacy of Máms Ká Katiá. After all, what's a fine meal without a bit of a tale to go with it?

Many of the surrounding regions feel that these are tall tales by those Sindhi who cling to it as fact. The Sindhi that believe in it would do anything to find this same cave to prove that it did exist as described.

Seem as a way to explain an ancient form of cooking, a few surrounding cultures have took up the art of cooking steaks the same way as described in the stories of Máms Ká Katiá.

A small number of expeditions, especially ones where money, or lack of common sense, are in abundance has tried to track down the cave over the centuries since. Very few have returned, at least with anything substantial. Once every few decades, the remains of a party will stagger out of the mountains claiming to have found it, but any number of disasters caused the remain party members to return for help or just to escape the harsh conditions of the mountains.