Cuisine of Assam
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The Cuisine of Assam, a state in North-East India, is a mixture of different indigenous as well as external influences with a lot of regional variations. It is characterized by the use of simple ingredients which are at times very flavorful and at times very pungent. Fermented ingredients are widely used, giving it a very distinct flavor. Fish is widely used, and birds like duck, pigeon etc. are very popular. Pork dishes are particular favorites. Preparations are rarely elaborate.
A traditional meal in Assam begins with a khar, a dish made with an alkaline ingredient and ends with a tenga, a sour dish. These two dishes characterize a traditional meal in Assam.
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[edit] Ingredients
The food ingredients as well as their preparation gives a cuisine its uniqueness. The ingredients, some indigenous, give the cuisine its characteristic flavor.
[edit] Rice
Rice is the most important ingredient in this cuisine. The large varieties of rice found in the region has led to speculation that the grain was first domesticated in the Assam-Yunnan region.[1] Both the indica and well as the japonica varieties are grown in Assam. The most popular class of rice is the joha. The use of a glutinous rice (bora saul) in making a wide variety of rice cakes (pithas) and rice beer (lau-pani) is widespread. Rice is eaten in many different forms: roasted and ground (xandoh), boiled in its husk and flattened (chira), puffed (akhoi). There also grows a variety of rice that can be just soaked and eaten (kumal saul).
Rice is a part of all meals in Assam. A traditional breakfast consists of chira with yogurt and jaggery. Farmers eat cooked rice soaked overnight (or a few nights for added kick) and garnished with mastard oil, onions, etc (poita). Snacks would be xandoh, kumal saul or bora saul with milk. For other major meals, rice could be boiled, steamed or wrapped in leaves and roasted.
A special class of rice preparations, called pithas are generally made only on special occasions.
[edit] Fish
The next most important ingredient is the fish, harvested from the many rivers, ponds and lakes in the region. There is no traditional ethnic community in Assam that does not eat fish. Most traditional rural households have their own ponds for pisciculture. Some of the most popular fishes are the rou (Labeo rohita), the illish ( Tenualosa ilisha) and the chital (Chitala chitala), though the varieties of fish available and eaten is very large.[2] The discerning gourmand would be able to tell which region of Assam is known for which variety of fish.
The most popular dish from Assam, the tenga, is an indispensable part of a proper meal in Assam. The most popular tenga is made with tomatoes, though ones made with kaji lime (thick skinned elongated) and thekera (Garcinia pedunculata) added to other vegetables are also popular. Another favorite is small fish roasted in banana leaves.
[edit] Preparations
One popular dish is potatoes mashed with chopped onions, green chillis, mustard oil and salt, locally termed 'aloo pitika'. Fish is fried in mustard oil or curried with bottle gourd or spinach. Meat is curried in spicy gravy. Modern assamese cuisine is integrated with east and north Indian cuisine.
Locally available green leafy vegetables are: spinach, lai (a family of mustard greens), fenugreek greens, khutora (amaranth), moricha, mati kaduri, mani moni (dichondra), mint, cabbage. Green vegetables are often boiled with water to form a gravy or fried in oil with onions.
Other locally available vegetables are: cauliflower, beetroot, kolhrabi, curry bananas, banana flower, banana stem, bell pepper, 'potol', 'jeeka', 'bhool', snake gourd, bottle gourd, 'ronga lao'
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Barbora, Sanjay (2006) Who needs butter chicken? The search for (and the finding of) a proud Assamese tradition of food, Himal Magazine, November 2006.
- Goswami, Prashanta (2004) Assam: Feast Northeast, Outlook Traveller, April 2004.
- Goswami, Uddipana (2000) Baptism by Beer: Assamese Cuisine, Tehelka.
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