( By Dr.M.Hazarika, Professor, Department of Livestock Product Technology, Assam Agricultural University)
The people of North East India (NER) have strong preference for foods of animal origin. (Please refer Percapita_Meat_Consumption_NER and Av_Expenditure_perperson_on_Meat )
The ethnic and tribal groups are confined to their traditional ways and customs where meat consumption is an integral part. They produce varieties of meat and poultry products since time immemorial. Apart from the fresh meat production and traditional processing, a sizeable portion is preserved using their indigenous methods and ingredients. The products as well as methods of preservation vary region to region and even among the ethnic groups. Some of the meat products are preserved years together in normal room temperature.
Traditional meat products ready for roasting in banana leaves
It is very interesting to note that excess meat is processed and preserved by drying or by drying cum smoking or by salting and drying with local herbs or by fermentation. It is also observed that indigenous herbs, leaves of trees, roots, seeds, liquid vegetable extracts, spices and oils are used for preservation of some meat products. Many tribal people claim that certain herbal products used in meat preservation and processing has lypolytic, proteolytic, cholesterolytic and hepatoprotective properties. Their claim is probably true from the fact that in spite of heavy consumption of meat, few people are prone to heart problems.
Women selling meat products
The consumption pattern of meat can be grouped into seven categories:
- Fresh meat
- Dried meat
- Dried and smoked meat
- Dried and smoked with preservative
- Fermented meat
- Non fermented processed meat products
- Modern meat products.
On the basis of popularity pork stands first in the region followed by chicken, chevon and beef. The table below list some of the traditional meat products of North Eastern Region of India. Currently attempts are being made to document traditional knowledge some of the select products for possible commercialisation.
Certain traditional meat products of NER with their colloquial term, origin and type
| Sl. name | Name of the product | Origin | Type and description of the product |
| 1 | Adin | Arunachal Pradesh | Smoked dried pork, beef or mithun meat with fermented bamboo shoot |
| 2 | Ar sa ret | Mizoram | Dry smoked chicken |
| 3 | Ashi kioki | Naga tribes, Assam | Thinly sliced dried pork taken with fermented bamboo shoot /soybean |
| 4 | Arjia | Western part of Himalaya & Sikkim | Soft brown sausage type Mutton product taken as curry |
| 5 | Bai | Mizoram | Pork with spinach and bamboo shoot taken as curry with rice |
| 6 | Bagjinam | Sema Naga of Nagaland | Fermented pork taken as curry |
| 7 | Cheu | Deuri community of Assam | Semi-Boiled pork pieces smeared with turmeric, red chilli and salt woven in bamboo sticks & roasted over fire (Charcoal) |
| 8 | Chilu | Sikkim, Ladak and Bhutan | Fat of yak/Beef/Lamb stored in empty stomach of sheep used as edible oil |
| 9 | Dawng sa ret | Mizoram | Dry smoked beef used as curry |
| 10 | Doh klong | Meghalaya | Small pieces of boiled pork with local spices- fried in oil & hot served |
| 11 | Doh khleik | Meghalaya | Pig brain and head meat with bamboo shoot and spices and fried in oil |
| 12 | Doh kpu | Meghalaya | Finely minced pork-mixed with onion, garlic ,green chillies and local spices- meat balls – – fried in oil & served with rice |
| 13 | Doh snam | Meghalaya | Blood-filled in intestine with spices.-cooked for ½ an hour taken as blood sausage |
| 14 | Doh Snier | Meghalaya | Cleaned intestine filled with molten fat, moist cooked ,spices and turmeric added to improve shelf-life |
| 15 | Doh pheret | Meghalaya | Small cut pieces from edible and inedible organs-cooked in a pot for long time with spices and served hot |
| 16 | Doh tyrkhong | Meghalaya | Smoked-dried pork/beef |
| 17 | Eg-adin banum | Mising community of Assam | Pork pieces mild cooked- marinated with local spices and condiments-woven in bamboo sticks-roasted over fire until turns into golden brown |
| 18 | Honohein/Mongong grain | Dimasa tribe of Karbi anglong | Dried pork/buffalo meat used for curry preparation |
| 19 | Kheuri | Sikkim | Meat product prepared from Yak or Beef chopped intestine in empty stomach of sheep, taken as curry or side dish |
| 20 | Kargyong | Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh,Darjeeling | Soft or hard brownish sausage like product prepared from yak/Beef/Pork ,taken as curry or side dish |
| 21 | Momo | All the states of North Eastern Region | Flour with water-dough, small balls are rolled, filled with pre fried minced meat with spices-steam cooked and served with sauce |
| 22 | Ngam phoat | Arunachal pradesh | Dry smoked meat covered with salt and turmeric paste |
| 23 | Ngam Toongpak | Arunachal pradesh | Pork small pieces with bamboo shoot–kept inside a tightly covered bamboo hollow container. Long shelf life |
| 24 | Noau soum | Assam | Boiled rice smeared over the boiled pork pieces filled tightly in bamboo cans and sealed-fermentation occurs within few days and acts as preservative |
| 25 | Pakku | Tripura | Mutton curry with rice |
| 26 | Sathu | North cachar hills of Assam | Pieces of pork fat-half boiled –kept inside the sathu (Water gourd) container -kept near the fire for 4-5 days- long shelf life-used in curry. |
| 27 | Saphak | North cachar hills of Assam | Boiled fats of pork-kept in air tight bottle and used in curry preparation |
| 28 | Suka ko maso | Sikkim, and Darjeeling | Mutton or buffalo meat-smoked dried taken as curry, side dish or grilled meat |
| 29 | Sun/Yen akangha | Manipur | Dried beef/chicken product |
| Sun/Yen ayaiba | Manipur | Smoked beef/chicken | |
| 30 | Satchu | Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh,Darjeeling | Yak meat or Beef smoked dried, hard brownish taken as curry or side dish |
| 31 | Tambe-Akom | Misimi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh | Small pork pieces mixed with ginger, garlic and salt paste stuffed into bamboo hollow container- burnt in fire-cool & consume in slice form |
| 32 | Yoo-Aso | Apatani tribes of Arunachal Pradesh | Pork back fat with skin treated with a herbal preparation called pila (Extract of ash of millet and a local fern) – long shelf life |
| 33 | Zadoh snam | Meghalaya | Fresh beef/pork blood mixed with half cooked rice and fried in oil for 5-6 minutes with local spices |
Source: Author’s personal collection
Photo credit: ‘ Women Selling Meat Products’: Mr.Ashish Chopra
