Some Ethnic Fermented Foods and Beverages of Nagaland

Abstract

Ethnic fermented foods and beverages are important components of the dietary culture of the indigenous people of Nagaland. The raw materials used during fermentation are either domesticated or collected from the jungle. The use of wild herbs and forest products is a common practice employed during preparation of the fermented food products. The dietary culture of Naga also expresses their love for food and its variety as these foods help in shaping the economy of the people, but till date only limited research have been made to study the fermented foods and beverages in detail although many foods have been reported. Literatures on the microorganisms of the finished fermented products and also the microorganisms involved during the fermentation process are scarce or insufficient so attempt have been made to describe some of the common ethnic food products, their method of preparation, the substrates used along with their sensory characteristics. It also includes information on the most popular fermented foods of Nagaland and the tribes and regions associated with it. Microorganisms identified are only for axone (fermented soybean) and zutho (fermented local rice beverage) and the nutritional value of these two foods have also been mentioned. All the fermented foods and beverages are naturally fermented except for zutho which uses an amylolytic starter (khrei). Most of the fruit beverages are low alcoholic and are prepared locally at home during the seasons and used for various purposes.