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Indian · regional cuisine

Naga (Nagaland)

Smoked pork, fermented bamboo shoot and soybean (axone), boiled greens and the king chilli: simple, oil-light cooking with big, sour and smoky flavours that varies by tribe.

Flavour character: Smoky, sour (fermented bamboo shoot), funky (axone), very hot (king chilli, raja mircha), with ginger, garlic and fresh herbs; little oil and few dry spices.

3 recipes

History

Nagaland is home to more than a dozen major Naga tribes (Angami, Ao, Sumi, Lotha, Konyak and others), each with its own dishes and festivals. Meat, especially pork, is hung over the kitchen hearth to smoke and dry, and fermentation (bamboo shoot, soybean as axone, colocasia leaves as anishi among the Ao) preserves food through the year. Since 2000 the state-run Hornbill Festival in early December has showcased Naga food to visitors.

Well documented

Geography and influences

Steep, forested hills bordering Myanmar; terraced and shifting (jhum) cultivation of rice, millet, maize and vegetables.

  • Tribal hearth cooking and preservation
  • Proximity to Myanmar
  • Christian missions since the 19th century (feasts at Christmas)

Regional variations

Angami (Kohima)
Galho, smoked meat, fermented bamboo shoot.
Ao (Mokokchung)
Anishi (fermented, dried colocasia leaves) cooked with pork.
Sumi
Axone with pork is particularly associated with the Sumi.

Festive and seasonal food

  • Sekrenyi (Angami, February), Moatsu (Ao, May) and Tuluni (Sumi, July): pork, rice beer and sticky rice
  • Hornbill Festival (1–10 December): food stalls from every tribe
  • Christmas: community pork feasts

Signature dishes

Not on the site yet: Smoked pork with axone, Galho, Anishi with pork (Ao), Dried fish chutney, Zutho (rice beer)

Naga (Nagaland) recipes