Exploring the Unique Flavours of Northeastern Cuisine

Kohua was dreaming about home-cooked meals on her five hundred and nth day in the land they call the capital of the country when she was broken out of her reverie. 

“Yo,” a voice said as a small peanut butter container that has been fashioned into a pickle jar floated into her vision, “my grandma has sent you dried fish pickles.”

“Oh my goodness, please give her my thanks! Also,” Kohua turned to smile - a winning one - at her friend, “I was wondering if I could come by your place later? It’s been too long since I’ve had Pipi’s cooking. I was really craving her meh bai.”

As her friend shook her head with what was perhaps exasperated fondness, Kohua thought to herself that Hippocrates was right, after all, when the great scholar had wisely proclaimed, ‘Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.’ A good home-cooked meal is undoubtedly the medicine to both body and soul.

If one were to delve deeper into the culinary practices of the region, one would find Northeastern India to be a culinary treasure trove, where traditional tribal meals exhibit a rich variety and unique flavours. Steamed rice, green vegetables, meats, and freshwater fish form the cornerstone of these meals, with bamboo shoots, fermented soybeans, fermented fish, and various meats adding distinctive flavours. Bamboo shoots are a popular souring agent, while fermented soybeans, known as akhuni, kinema, or turumbai in different parts of the region, impart a pungent aroma. The Raja Mircha, also known as the U-morok or bhoot Jolokia, the world's hottest chili, adds intense heat and distinctive flavour to the cuisine and is particularly cherished in pork dishes.

Each tribe in the Northeast has unique culinary specialties reflecting their cultural heritage. In Nagaland, the Semas and Angamis use akhuni in pork dishes, while the Ao Nagas prefer anishi, made from dried yam leaves. These tribes also practise smoking and fermenting meats to enhance flavour and preservation. Rice, a staple, is prepared in various unique ways across tribes. Fish is barbecued in banana leaves in Meghalaya and Assam, offering a smoky flavour, and fermented fish chutneys are popular for their intensity. Tripura’s shidal, a fermented fish preparation, showcases the region's resourcefulness. 

However, despite such a meat-centric diet, vegetables also play a significant, at times even true medicinal, role in Northeastern cuisine. The region is abundant in vegetables, with communities practising organic farming. Celebrations like Assam’s Bohag Bihu highlight the importance of herbs and leafy vegetables with traditions such as eating a hundred and one herbs (exo ebidh xaak) due to their medicinal properties which help in digestion as well as in keeping one healthy.  In Sikkim, vegetables like leafy mustard and radish are fermented into gundruk and sinki, which are sun-dried for later use, enhancing their nutritional value.

A defining characteristic of Northeastern cuisine is its minimalist spice usage. Instead of relying on a plethora of spices, the cuisine focuses on a few key ingredients such as chilies, ginger, garlic, sesame, and local herbs. This allows the natural flavours to stand out, creating simple yet flavorful dishes. Although culinary practices vary significantly across tribes, influenced by diverse cultural landscapes and altitudes, however, the presence of ethnic food  is an important and integral feature of festivals, marriages, and cultural functions across all tribes and communities here. The traditional knowledge transfer for these indigenous practices is primarily through word of mouth, oral traditions or community interactions, with parents and grandparents playing an important role in transfer of these cultural wisdom to the subsequent generations. 

All in all, the cuisine of Northeastern India is a vibrant tapestry of flavours, traditions, and cultural significance. The use of distinctive ingredients, traditional preparation methods, and a minimalist approach to spices all contribute to the unique and diverse culinary heritage of this region. Exploring these flavours offers a glimpse into the rich cultural fabric and ecological wisdom of the Northeastern tribes.  Thus food is not just a means of sustenance here, rather, in Louise Fresco’s words: 

“Food, in the end, in our own tradition, is something holy. It's not about nutrients and calories. It's about sharing. It's about honesty. It's about identity.”