,il,]ttlITrfl

trategically situated in theNorth-east part of India,

Meghalaya, Nagaland,Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mi-zoram and Tripura comprisingwhat is popularly known as theseven sisters, inspite of their di-versity in culture, language, cus-tom, caste and creed have onething in com,mon - slmplicity offood habits.

The region receives heavy rain-fall as a result of which it ab-ounds in thick forests, waterponds and rivulets. So fish andrice (fresh fro.m the ponds, knownas phukari) certainly figure inthe daily diet. The common manhas plenty of green leafy vege-tables in his diet with bambooshoots as a common delicacy.

LEFT: A fficd cootlng eoduru:The salt contriner by thc ddc ofthe wornen fu made of but6oo.

food and the dish is often knownby the name of the community.For instance, the Khamtis of Aru-nachal Pradesh prepare scentedrice without using any utensils- the rice grain is steamed in Ibamboo_. pipe. The Manipurisare well-known for' their

'tasty

chutney preparations. So, when-ever the food is good, the guestssiy, 'Ah Khamti rice, Manipurichatnit' Wheat and wheat pro-ducts, by the way, are rarely usedin daily cooking.

l-he weather remains cold rt-most throughout the yeat be,cause of the high altitude so,not surprisingly, 'apong', thehome-made fresh rice beer, islmbibed in great quantities bythe hill people. Apong plays enimportant role ln the tribal watof life. The tribals of Assa.m, Aru-nachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizo-ram and Meghalaya entertarntheir guests and relativeswith apong as a token of theiresteem and respect. Rice beerelso figures in local religious ri-tes and beliefs.

Talking of rites and beliefs,Bihoo or the Assamese spring

LCFT: The hill people enjoy thetrrice liquoa Usually meat i3 servdwith thc liquor.

ABOVE: The local women rellplneapples ,in lrnphat'r marketr{Manlpur).

THE COOKING OF THESEVEN SISTERS

The north-eastetnstates have a common

culinary factordespite the diversity

of culture,ua8e, custom-andthat is the utter

simplicity of theirfood habits

M. R. Enaty andP. C. Pegar

oo

a \ o\J

lang

Dried bamboo shoot powderls used as a kind of chutney inNagaland and Mizoram. lt has apeculiar taste that goes well withrice. Leaves Sathered from wildplants like the rnimtita, sewali,phul, auram flower are also con-sumed by the local people. Theseare known to be rich in bothmineral and medicinal value. Spi-ces are hardly used but chilliesare eaten with every meal.

By and large the local people{avour non-vegetarian fare. Oneinteresting feature to note is thateach community has evolved itsown distinct way of preparing

t:rooat

!

.T

t "ii!afeeCLoo-

festival, is celebrated with bihoopitha, an lmportant ricerbasedsweet of this region. The prepar-ation of bihoo pitha has beenhanded down through the gener-ations, The sun and the moon(known as the Almighty Dongi-Polo in Arunachal Pradesh and as

Gontinucd on page 3l

Li:rl 's genenlly cGt rid|-::: ael ka bhartr largc, frcCr,r,€+:'cs3 brn'rls rre selrted for: ' : "-: blnjals are washed and

OrE Ac4 thc *s.b-c rcd'cd. ?le dte.n oFn detcfii with plein,ing waler. After helf - t*ge

0,E, ry ratr ilxe cErS! 5tm-

T Ff ttrlr3r b

ft t

*t* I nl|]

ea. p.Aa€, simpfre food, but yery**rr end horpiteble. l.lo guertrifl go hungry from their door-ttcp!

onr:IDtt

Tlr€ cooxtNc oFIHT SEVEI.T SISTERIi

Ccodatrd fron pegc 2E

Naimikra-hekure in Nagaland)rre both worshipped. No festl-vil' is complete without chorusr -! ,rt and group dancing.

Tre traditlonal tribal house isr,{orgrted and low-roofed so asro *ithstand the strong wlnds thatoften blow. The famlly gatherc fortheir meals around the kitchenfirc, which burns throughout thedey, throughout the year. Overthetitchen fire, the locals hangtheir stocks of fish and meat. Themeat. thus dried can then be pre-*rve{ over long perlods of time.Salt is scarce and this ls probablywhy goltre ls one of the more pre-valent diseases in the hills. Hookworm and stomach disorderc aiellso common ailments, and thls lstargely due to the unfiftereddrinklng water.

Eve's Weekly, Des. 17 - 23, lg8l

RECIPES FROM ASSAM chillies ana ilfr*ic. Fry thc ffshpieces in mu$ard oit and keepthem aside. Then frythc dry flow-er for a whilre, pour in sorire hotwater and let it simmer till pro-perly*[oiled. Put in the rice pow-der, SiiT{ and then the fried iish.

Y2 lbsp. gennr rnenhYt tbcp. rcde pondcrGnen corierdcr choppcdMurterd oll et rcqulred

Soak the bfack grem ln wrter.Mix the chicken with the chllltpowder, turmerie end gar.mr me,sala- Thcn fry it in mustard oiltill k getr roasted. Tlren add thegarlic and ginger.Fry the black gram separately.Simmer, with soda powder add-ed till it is well cooked. Thenadd the fried chicken. Garnishwith chopped coriander leaves.

BIHOO P]THA2 kt fohe rlce, roe&cd150 gm. tll (rcreme)150 6nr molrscc Qud)

Grind the soaked rice Into a finepaste and blend with the molas-ses and til. Then wrap the mixturein a clean cloth and place lt on rsystematically arranged earthenpitcher where the pitha can becooked wlth the water vapou,that evaporates from thc pltiher.

SEWATI FTOWERCURRY

PATfA MACHHIC}&ATNI(Leaf Fish Chutney)

SoQrudl firhcrI onloa4 Sccn chlllloCorleedcr lotvcr

Cut"dr onion, green chlllies andcoriander. Mlx with the fishes.Wrap them in double-spread tarePfna W ltyt inside- burningcnarcoat'tor about half an hourtill fish is cooked.

BAMBOO CURRY500 lm. barnboo rhootcMurlerd oll * requlrudGRIND TO A PASTE:2 chllllcrI onlonrz tbrp. lumerlc poridcrVt tbrp. genm rnrrrhsdt to tertc

Chop the bamboo shoots lntofine slices and mix with theground masala. Fry In mustardoil till bamboo shoots are tend-er.

500 gn dry rwdl f,rtrc200 gm. dcc3 grccn chllllcrth tbp. tupc?ic porrdct250 gm. flrhth tbrp. trranr rnrnhti onldrSelt to hrtcMurtrd oll

Soak the rice and grlnd lnto po,v-der. Cut the fish into small piecesand mlx well wlth the-green

8ilf^fru wrH Br.AcK500 gm. ctlclcrr200 gm blaclr granrI lbrp- chllll'porrdcrVt tbrp tumelc porrdcr2 onlonr {*{cm ;ln. dn;ct2 grrllc