Naga Food: It's unthinkable to eat without relishing

It is not without good reason it is said that Nagas are different from the mainland Indians in their genetic structure and food habits. As a state – the land of the Nagas – Nagaland has always evoked a sense of mysticism and has upheld animist culture.

Naga cuisines are devoid of spices and are largely based on the foodstuffs they find in their surroundings. The Nagas eat varieties of boiled food without frying in oil. Obviously, maximum proteins and vitamins are retained in their foods. Most of the Naga dishes are at best flavoured with sprinkles of ginger, a traditional ‘local chilli (Bhoot Jalukia)’ and a little pork fat to draw out the natural flavours of the meat.

The food plate is always accompanied by a bowl full of seasonal green vegetables and leafs. It is true that the Nagas up to this era have a good knowledge of what is edible and nutritious. It ought to be noted that even vegetables or agricultural produce from the fields are generally organic. But modern culture has brought in some changes. While emphasis on ‘meat eating’ has remained inherent part of a Naga dish, somewhere vegetable consumption has reduced. There is also growing liking for some junk food – burger, noodles and so on.

Therefore, Naga food has also resulted in certain health issues. “Nagas have given up eating vegetables and keeping the balance on the table. Moreover, the meat consumed by Nagas these days is ‘not organic’ or found locally. Most of these pigs and chickens are supplied from commercial units,” says a seasoned state politician and former state Information Minister Thomas Ngullie.

As a result, many diseases have cropped in. A few years back it was reported that fish supplied from states such as Andhra Pradesh are sometimes packed with formalin and apparently this has led to growing number of cancer.

Nagaland Health officials say there are growing incidents of other diseases and unlike the past – and such percentage is consistently witnessing north bound graph.

A local study by health experts revealed that Chakhesang Nagas – inhabitant of Phek and Kohima districts – generally consume more salt and as such they have abundant number of hypertension patients. A booklet from a students’ body claimed a few years back that the Nagas residing in hilly villages suffer from very high blood pressure. In fact, another study had showed that Nagas have more drug resistant Tuberculosis than the all-India figures.

A homeland of 17 major Naga tribes, Nagaland offers a bonanza on a platter. Each tribe has speciality of their own. If to say ‘north eastern food’ is technically or otherwise an erroneous venture; so could be about the ‘Naga food’ too.

Each tribe actually has speciality of their own in terms of the traditional cuisine and some of those are quite distinct from each other.

Bamboo shoot is a special ingredient given into almost all Naga dishes. But among all the tribes, ‘Bashtenga (local name for Bamboo shoot) and Pork dishes by Lotha Nagas – inhabitant of Wokha district- is most popular. It is not without good reason that the Lotha dishes are very popular in Nagaland and therefore mushrooming of ‘Lotha Hotels’ along highways within Nagaland is an emerging trend. Lotha Foods are popular outside Nagaland as well and not without reasons!

Fermented soya is again a commonly taken item.

But here too, among all Naga tribes, the Sema Nagas – original inhabitant of remote Zunheboto district and now living in substantial numbers in border town Dimapur along the foothills – have somehow ‘hijacked’ the item. They call it ‘Akhuni’ and in Delhi there have been instances that north Indian house owners often ask Naga students looking for accommodation – do you take ‘Akhuni’?

The aroma of Akhuni can be intense and concentrated at times, but the name has stuck and those who like Sema dishes cannot do it without ‘Akhuni’.

Naga meals ideally comprise of boiled vegetable and hot chilli used to make ‘Naga chutney’ (laced with sprinkles of dry fish).

Talking about Bhoot Jalukia or hot Naga Chilli, it ought to be mentioned that the state (Nagaland) is now recognised and holds GI rights (Geographical Indication Registry) for being the original home of this produce. However, the cultivation of Jalukia (chilly) has not been exploited in its full potential.

In fact, it was in 2017, the Nagaland government had won the patent rights for the hot chilli – and was named as Naga King Chilly with the government of India.

The Registration of Geographical Indication Certificate is awarded under section 16 (1) of the Geographical Indication of Goods Registration and Protection Act of 1999.

Rice is the staple food for Nagas and in the absence of a culture of breakfast and snacks eating, often guests would be offered a plate of rice and meat and rice beer even as early as 0800 hours.

Wheat was ‘foreign’ to Nagas or rather too much of an ‘Indian phenomenon’ but lately Nagas are taking Rotis in large numbers, locals say.

The Konyak Naga tribesmen of Mon district have folktales to believe that the rice as a crop was given to them by traditional animist deities. It was also believed that among Konyaks for long, Taro (collacassia) and locally called Galhet (in Konyak) were original stable food of the community.

But a closer look at the crops grown by Nagas in general shows a pattern that was similar to the agricultural practices of the Old World. Anthropological studies from time to time have revealed that Naga crops or agricultural practices were different from the main crops in mainland India. For instance, in Naga hills, there is a general practice of growing of ‘wet rice’ and some of it has similarities in China.

The major crops Nagas produced traditionally were – however – millet, rice and yam.

Among the Old World Crops, Nagas found Gourd (Lagenenaria) very useful. Also called ‘Laos’ in parts of Bengal and Assam – Gourd had been useful as vegetable as well as for making jars and mugs for storage purpose. Boiled vegetable bowl offered by Nagas often has Gourd and is relished much.

Inset:

Love for meat eating among Nagas is so much that in urban areas, one finds hardly birds flying in the open sky. Even sparrows and crows are rare sites as young Naga boys would be too keen to bring them down with catapult. In fact, Nagas have excellence in the art of hunting and thus meat eating is mostly from what is kept domestically and what is hunted.

(New Delhi-based journalist, Nirendra Dev was born, educated and had his baptism into journalism from Nagaland in 1990s)