Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 6(1), January 2007, pp. 79-94 Cultural significance and diversities of ethnic foods of Northeast India Anamika Singh 1 , Ranjay K Singh 2* & Amish K Sureja 3 1 Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 2 Department of Agriculture Extension 3 Department of Vegetable Science, College of Horticulture & Forestry, Central Agricultural University, Pasighat 791 102, Arunachal Pradesh E-mail: ranjay_jbp@rediffmail.com Received 30 August 2006; revised 23 October 2006 The traditional foods processed and prepared by women of Northeastern region are intimately connected to their socio- cultural, ecological, spiritual life and health. The processing and preparation of ethnic foods not only demonstrate the creativity and treasure of food heritage of tribal women but also their incremental learning to sustain the life and ecosystem as a whole. Looking to the diversities in ethnic foods, an attempt has been made to explore the ethnic foods made of local soybean, bamboo shoot, tree bean, lai patta (leafy mustard) and rai (Brassica juncea (Linn.) Czern. & Coss.) from different selected tribes of Northeast India. Tribal women of Northeastern region have a wide range of variability in the ethnic foods made of soybean, bamboo shoot, lai patta, tree bean and rai. In each state, the processing method of these foods is somewhat different based on the culture, variability in the materials used in the food, climate and overall knowledge of the processing and preparation. The foods used in the dietary system were found to be nutritionally rich and culturally important in various festivals and ceremonies. Ethnic foods prepared and consumed by women can not be seen in the isolated mode, instead it is a complex dynamics in which nutrition, health, food security, culture, ethics, subsistence economy and ecological sustainability are integral components. A policy framework with clear directives on recognition of traditional foods and associated knowledge systems is urgently needed. Keywords: Cultural significance, Ethnic food, Traditional food, Fermentation, Indigenous knowledge, Tribal women, Women empowerment, Northeast India, Adi, Galo, Apatani, Sherdukpen, Ao, Sema, Mizo, Khasi, Bhutia, Gurung, Meitei, Barman IPC Int. Cl. 8 : A61K36/00, A01G1/00, A01G17/00, A47G19/00, A23L1/00, A23L1/06, A23L2/02, A61P1/04, A61P15/00, A61P15/06, A61P15/14, A61P25/00 Northeastern India is one of the richest floras in India, where people depend on shifting cultivation systems and forest based food products for their sustainable survival. This region, which lies under eastern Himalayan ecosystem, is not only rich in plants diversity but also have a great treasure of cultural, social and linguistic variability, conserved by tribal people. The region is a treasure of indigenous knowledge systems pertaining to agriculture, food, medicine, and natural resources management. People are habituated to live and survive with the forest and Jhum cultivation culture, which ensure a range of ethnic foods rich in nutrition and compatible to culture and ethnicity of tribes 1 . Since time immemorial, rural women of this region have selected many wild plants and non-vegetarian foods through trial and error 2 . Women have conserved many local crops, ethnic vegetables and indigenous fruits used in local diet for food and nutritional security. Most of these indigenous materials are collected by women folk either from the forest areas, conserved in shifting land or indigenous kitchen gardens 3-5 . These ethnobotanical resources used in traditional foods are based on the location specific demand, culture, economy, ethnicity, food habit and overall needs 1,4-6 . Different fermented and non-fermented foods are used in various combinations with traditional vegetables to meet the food and nutritional security 6 . Mainly the different tribal women share these traditional foods at community level in various cultural occasions (like Etar, Solung and Aran festival in Adi tribe), which ensure the equitable food _________ *Corresponding author