Beyond the samosas and curries of mainstream India lies a culinary world rooted in forests, farms, fermentation, and fire. The food of the Northeast is a celebration of natural abundance and tribal knowledge passed down through taste and memory.
Bamboo and Smoke – The Heart of Naga Cuisine
In Nagaland, meals often begin with smoked pork cooked in bamboo shoot or axone—a fermented soybean paste. The smoky flavor, rich and primal, defines the local palate.
Chef Benjung Sema, owner of a small eatery in Dimapur, explains: “Our food evolved to last. Smoking meat or fermenting beans wasn’t just taste—it was survival.”
Axone, once dismissed as pungent, is now stocked by gourmet food outlets in Delhi. At modern restaurants, it appears in tacos, pastas, and even aioli sauces.
Foraging with the Mizos
In Mizoram, traditional meals are often built around seasonal greens, fish from hillside streams, and herbs from nearby forests. Fermented mustard, tender pumpkin leaves, and boiled rice are staples.
Local homemaker Lalrinfeli Ralte says, “What grows around us ends up on our plates. It keeps us grounded.” Mizoram’s food is often oil-free and served in bamboo containers—a trend now being picked up by wellness cafes across India.
Manipur’s Fermented Wonders
The cuisine of Manipur features fermented fish (ngari), wild mushrooms, and lotus stem. Eromba, a chutney-like preparation made of boiled vegetables, chilies, and fermented fish, is a daily staple.
Student chef Achouba Ningthoujam, who runs pop-ups in Delhi, notes, “It’s a shock at first bite. But then it grows on you. It’s flavor with personality.”
Meghalaya’s Stone-Baked Stories
In the Khasi and Jaintia hills, food is cooked on hot stones or slow-baked in earth ovens. Dishes like Jadoh (rice and meat cooked in local spices) or tungtap (a fish paste) reflect a people who live in deep rhythm with the monsoons and the land.
The Nongkynrih family in Cherrapunji runs a cooking school where they teach guests to collect wild pepper, prepare rice beer, and cook with stone tools.
To conclude, the flavours of the Northeast is a table full of traditions
To eat in the Northeast is to travel through time. Each dish tells a story of land, season, and survival. As India rediscovers regional flavours, the Northeast stand ready with smoke, fire, and deep deliciousness.
