Cuisine of Assam

 India is a diverse country we have 29 states each having their own cuisine but we Indians have still not able to explore cuisine from each state and one of such state whose cuisine is not explored by us is Assam.

Assamese cuisine is a mixture of cooking styles of hills which favors fermentation and drying as a method for preservation and of plains that has abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as animals and poultry. But despite of having this two schools for cooking the main ingredient remained rice. Assam has a varied cultural influence due to which there are surprising variety of food in Assamese cuisine. Some characteristics of Assamese cuisine includes less use of spices and oil, the main flavour is due to use of exotic fruits and vegetables, which are used in fresh, dried or fermented form. The oil used is pungent mustard oil. A traditional meal in Assam begins with a khar, a class of dishes named after the main ingredient, and ends with a tenga, a sour dish. The food is usually served in bell metal utensils made by an indigenous community called Mariya. The belief is that when food and water is served in such utensils it’s good for health and boost up immunity. Tamul (betel nut) and paan generally concludes the meal.

MEAT AND FISH

In Assamese cuisine one would find the use of all types of meat such as chicken, pork, beef, duck, squabs & etc. apart from this fish is also consumed in large quantities, the tropical climate and large water bodies has favored the presence of different types of fish, all the communities in Assam consume fish. Chicken, Venison, Squab, Mutton, duck and Pork is very popular among the indigenous ethnic Assamese communities like Sonowals, Bodo, Rabha, Keot (Kaibarta), Ahom, Moran, Sutiya etc. Upper caste Assamese Hindus, such as Assamese Brahmins (including Ganaks) and Kayasthas of Assam, Kalitas of Lower Assam refrain from pork consumption. Beef is occasionally consumed by Assamese Muslims , although they traditionally refrain from consuming pork. The Christians, many indigenous Assamese communities, and the non-religious sections consume all types of meat. Some of the characteristic of fish and meat preparation is low amount of oil & spices, more use of ginger, noroxinghow paat (curry leaves), Khorisa (fermented bamboo shoots) and lemon.

Most communities of Assam are entomophagous. Various indigenous ethnic groups of certain areas partake of the silkworm, water bugs, grasshoppers, and other insects. Insects are fried or cooked or roasted in leaves and then prepared according to the timing of the meal. The red ant egg is considered a delicacy during the Rongali Bihu festival. The most common way of eating fish in traditional Assamese homes is by preparing a stew with herbs, vegetables, and greens as per preference and availability. Fish is also prepared by roasting or char-grilling. A favourite is a small fish roasted in banana leaves (paatotdia). Hukoti is a special fish dish prepared from dried small fish like (puthi maas) pounded with arum stem and dried and stored in bamboo tubes. Variations of this exist among the ethnic communities of northeast India in general and Assam in particular. Dried and fermented small fish puthy mas (Ticto barb), three to four in number, are roasted with lavish amounts of green chilis, tomatoes, ginger and garlic (all roasted). The ingredients are then pounded in a mortar to make a coarse paste and served with rice. Fish eggs and innards are also cooked and consumed. One of the signature fish preparation from Assamese cuisine is the mas tenga (sour fish).The most popular souring agent for the tenga is tomatoes, though ones made with kajinemu juice (thick skinned elongated lemon) and thekera (dried mangosteen,) are also popular.

                                                                       

Rice

Rice is a staple in Assamese cuisine, rice is obtained here are japonica as well as indica ones. Rice is a staple and it is consumed either by steaming or it is sun dried. Two varieties of rice from Assam is having GI tag, Joha rice and Boka saul rice it is also known as magic rice as no cooking is required for this you just need to soak in water and is ready to consume.

 Rice is Part of all meals in Assam. A traditional breakfast consists of chira with yogurt and jaggery. Mostly farmers eat cooked rice soaked overnight (poita) simply accompanied with salt, mustard oil, onions, etc. Snacks are xandoh, kumol saul or bora saul, sticky rice, which can be eaten with sweet or salty accompaniments. For other major meals, rice could be boiled, steamed or wrapped in leaves and roasted. 'Sunga Saul' is a special preparation in which (sticky) rice (bora saul) is cooked in bamboo hollows called 'sunga'. 'Sewa diya Bhaat' is another preparation where sticky rice is steamed over boiling water. They are generally served with meat or fish. Sticky rice is also wrapped in leaves, usually plantain leaves or tora pat, and dropped into boiling water to prepare 'tupula bhat'.

Rice is eaten as snack in many forms: roasted and ground (xandoh), boiled in its husk and flattened (chira), puffed (akhoi). (Kumol Saul), a preparation of rice that is precooked, dried and then husked can be simply soaked in warm water and eaten as a light meal. A special class of rice preparations, called pithas are generally made only on special occasions like the Bihu. Made usually with soaked and ground glutinous rice (bora saul), they could be fried in oil with a sesame filling (xutuli pitha), roasted in young green bamboo over a slow fire (sunga pitha) or baked and rolled over a hot plate with a filling (kholasaporia pitha)

VEGETABLES

Climate of Assam makes it rich in vegetation, and green vegetables called as xaak, some of the green vegetables are grown and others like dhekia (fern) grows wild. Herbs, greens, and vegetables are commonly eaten by simply cooking in water and salt, lightly frying, as a thick soup or by adding to varieties of lentils. They are also prepared in combination with fish, meat and eggs.

SPICES

Among spices there are ginger, garlic, cumin seed, black cumin, black pepper, chilli, turmeric, coriander seed, cinnamon, cardamom, clove, fenugreek seed,  mustard seed, aniseed, Malabar leaf, Cumin, etc. Some herbs peculiar to Assam are maan dhaniya, moran Ada, madhuhulong, bhedai lota, manimuni, masundari etc. An Assamese meal is incomplete without green chillies, many varieties of which are available in the region. Influence of its neighbour Bengal can be seen in Assamese cuisine in form of use of panch phoran (a mixture of 5 spices such as mustard, fennel, fenugreek, cumin and onion seeds)

SULAI - REGIONAL SPRIT

Sulai is a neutral spirit usually brewed in northeast part of India, it is known by different names in different part. It is usually made from fermented molasses and sometimes rice. It is accompanied with fried meat and curies. It is believed historically it was consumed by lower cast people.

We should promote cuisine from this states in order to take this culinary legacy to a global level.

"Food is central activity of mankind and one of the single most significant trademarks of a culture"

                                                                                                                                  -Mark Kurlansky