Arunachalee Cuisine: Frontier Fare

The Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, formerly a part of the North East Frontier Agency or NEFA, is crisscrossed by five big rivers, the Tirap, Lohit, Siang, Subansiri, and Kameng. This large territory has rich flora and fauna thanks to the climatic conditions that range from temperate to tropical to alpine. The luxuriant growth of its forest cover can be attributed to the heavy rainfall it receives and the associated high levels of humidity. As this most expansive North-eastern state is endowed with rich bio-resources and abundant forest cover, the majority of its tribal population lives in or in close proximity to the forests and depends on the forest produces for its sustenance. This ‘Land of the Rising Sun’ in the Eastern Himalayas is bountiful not only in natural resources, but is also home to around twenty-six major tribal communities, like the Monpa, Sherdukpen, Aka, Khowa, Apatani, Khampti, and Galo that have their own distinct languages, dances, music, oral traditions, arts, crafts, and cuisine.

In the tribal societies of Arunachal Pradesh, food, and the various stages of food preparation, has a much larger significance than just to provide nutrients and energy. Food is associated with supernatural beliefs, rituals, healing practices, social hierarchies, taboos, sacrifices, and offerings, among other things. The methods of food preparation, consumption, preferences, and sharing vary across cultures and are vital components of social cohesion within a community. Therefore, cooking traditions within these communities contain not only nutritional knowledge but also cultural values that are passed down orally from one generation to the next.

Traditionally, Arunachalee food is humble and homely, seasoned with special indigenous spices and wild herbs. Some of the locally known spices are pode, bambe, ori, zakir, rontung and amta. The use of oil and processed and packaged condiments are avoided as much as possible. For most Arunachalees, their staple food consists of rice accompanied by vegetables, meat, and fish. Lettuce and other leafy vegetables are commonly consumed and usually prepared by boiling with ginger, green chillies, and coriander.

The food profile of the Arunachalees includes both non-fermented and fermented food and beverages. They make use of a variety of wild plants and local ingredients to create delectable dishes. Some of the popular Arunachalee dishes are sob adin (Mithun stew) sai adin (beef stew), aso adin (mutton stew), amin oying (chicken stew), pasa (fish soup), luktar (meat and bamboo shoot pickle), thukpa (noodle soup), arek edin (pork stew), asin puinam (meat cooked in bamboo hollow), ili (pork stew with ginger), ekung (tender bamboo shoots with chillies), momo (dumplings) among others.

Wild plants and other botanical resources found in the jungles are essential ingredients in daily meals for many tribes in the state. These plants are consumed not just for their nutritional benefits but also hold special spiritual and socio-cultural significance for tribes, such as the Mishmi tribe. The Mishmis are a prominent tribe in the state and inhabit the Dibang Valley, Lower Dibang Valley, Anjaw, and Lohit districts. The topography of Arunachal Pradesh shelters rich vegetation and wildlife which help the tribals to sustain themselves on hunting, foraging and fishing without having to depend on packaged goods to enhance the taste of their food. The Mishmi tribe depends on wild vegetables, which are known to have a higher nutritional profile than common vegetables. They are said to consume around 57 species of wild plants like the harang pulo, alo, lakshon, piaz, dilaap, macau, machai, saining, chingning, khalap, turi, asum, sam leo, machang, khanaja amongst others. The leaves and shoots of most of these wild plants are eaten as vegetables and salads or added to chutneys to enhance their flavour. These plants also double as medicinal cures for ailments like stomach ulcers, asthma, diarrhoea, malaria, constipation, and other intestinal problems. Plants like the machang are used in rituals and have a significant socio-cultural value.

The Galos also source edible foodstuffs from the jungles, including wild plants like the oin, taka, tair, oyik, oji and raaer. Parts of the plants: stock, roots, leaves, and mushrooms form part of daily meals for the community and are consumed raw or boiled. The Galo women hold indigenous knowledge which make them experts at identifying edible plants and mushrooms, and are usually assigned the job of foraging for these plants. Various types of mushrooms collected by the Galos like inyak, takek marek, imbuk, aatar, and hubsi are brought from different villages and sold at bigger towns like Basar, which aids in building a trade network within the various tribal communities of the state. Numerous species of insects are also captured in the forests and devoured by the Galos and other Tani tribes. Insects like the takom, tari, gapu, tangik, mirbo, tak tapum, tanyi, reli and tachai have high nutritional content, and are consumed in their roasted, cooked, or raw form.

Fermented foods are a significant component of the culinary culture in the state. The Arunachalees use traditional methods of fermentation to flavour their food, which helps increase their shelf-life, a necessity for people living in remote locations and temperate climatic conditions. Though different tribes prepare a wide variety of fermented foods, the cooking depends on the availability of ingredients like vegetables, soybean, meat, milk, grains, and fish. The most common fermented foods of Arunachal Pradesh include bamboo tenga, churapi, anpo, ikh-ing, pikey pila, ziang-sang, tapyo, eup, etc. The Apatani community makes the ngiiyi-yaan and the pikey pila out of fermented fruits, vegetables, meat and fish. These dishes have a strong flavour and taste.

While the Nyishis make the dingkyo out of fermented meat and fish, which is a form of dry and acidic meat, the churapi or chhurpi is made from Yak milk by the Monpas and the Khambas. This cottage cheese is crumbly and soft. Bamboo shoots are one of the integral cooking ingredients for some tribal communities in the state. For the Galos, a prominent tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, mostly concentrated in the West Siang, East Siang, Shi Yomi, Lepa Rada and Upper Subansiri districts, bamboo shoots are integral to their meal pattern. The bamboo shoots are brought from the forests and then prepared and preserved in multiple ways. A simple way of preparing bamboo shoots for cooking is by peeling the outer layers, cutting it into pieces and grinding it before storing it in a container. Once the bamboo shoots have soured significantly, they are taken out and used in different meat and vegetable preparations. The eepe is another fermented bamboo shoot preparation made by peeling the shoot and then wrapping it in a banana leaf. This preparation is then buried underground for nearly a month, after which it is transferred to a container, ready to be cooked. The kupe or dried bamboo shoots is made by grinding the shoot and then drying it in the sun. A particular kind of chutney is prepared from a mixture of bamboo shoots, dry chilli or yaluk, naamdu (roasted sesame), and dry fish, usually eaten with rice. Another popular fermented food is the agya of the Galos, pyak of the Nyishis or peru-yaan of the Apatanis. Made by fermenting soybeans, it has a strong smell and flavour, and is relished with passion.

The food practices of indigenous communities not only include solid foods, but also beverages made from grains like rice, millet, and maize like the apong, opo and jumin in their fermented forms. Rice beer enjoys a special status in a tribal society, not just for its taste but also as a premier ritual drink served to all its community members, irrespective of age or gender, during festivals and other social events. It is mainly prepared and consumed by the Adi, Galo, Nyishi, Tagin and Apatani tribes.

This beer is prepared by mixing cooked rice with yeast cakes. Also called apong in the Adi language, rice beer is especially drunk during feasts, rituals, and ceremonies. When an Adi man seeks the hand of a maiden in marriage, apong is offered to seal the alliance. It is also especially consumed during housewarming ceremonies in the Adi community. During this auspicious event, the first batch, which is also the strongest, is offered to the house deities and is dutifully placed on the roof of the new house. Rice beer is referred to as ooh by the Apatanis and is used for similar ceremonial functions in the community. During the Myoko festival of the Apatanis of Hong Village, that celebrates the sowing of new paddy and friendship between the various Apatani villages, the ooh is used as a purifying agent to anoint the axe used for animal sacrifice. For the Nocte community, rice beer is called ju, from which jumin or liquor is extracted and liberally used for all their festivities and consumed only after offering a few drops to the spirits. The Monpas have their own version of distilled liquor, known as aara and baag chaang, which is said to ward off the cold. Aara is also mixed with egg and butter to create a unique and healthy beverage that is equally enjoyed both by children and adults. It is also a prominent component in Monpa festivals and is used in offerings to various deities and spirits within their Bon religion. The Galos call their preparation of rice beer opo, which may be consumed daily or during special events. Many interesting oral narratives about the Galos are associated with the opo. One such account talks about the shape of the yeast cake or the opop, designed in the shape of the moon by deities like Chute-Rate, Nyite-Kate, Ite-Botteh, Igi-Gamra, and Iki-Chuki. It is said that these deities also determine the taste of the opo, which ultimately affects the taste of the poka or liquor.

The tribes of Arunachal Pradesh have unique food habits influenced by factors such as the availability of local crops, forest resources, seasonal cycles, ecology, indigenous knowledge systems, and culture. However, with the passage of time, many of these traditional food practices are at risk of becoming extinct, as the younger generation has begun to disregard them in favour of more mainstream and modern food cultures. It is crucial to preserve the richness and diversity of Arunachal Pradesh’s traditional food systems for future generations, as these culinary practices are not only a reflection of the unique flavours pertinent to the different tribes and communities but also their way of life. This classic cuisine is also integral to the region’s cultural heritage and should be protected accordingly.