Six Traditional Naga Dishes You Must Try At The Hornbill Festival

Nagaland is home to over 15 tribal groups, each with its unique traditions and customs, and they all come together to form the state’s syncretic culture. The best way to acquaint yourself with Nagaland’s diversity is through its cuisine, savoured for its sharp but delightful flavours. 

Each dish in Naga cuisine highlights seasonal produce in the best ways possible. If you’re wondering where to get a taste of the cuisine’s sublime flavours, head to the Hornbill Festival. With Reckitt as this year’s partner, the festival offers a lot. But the food at kiosks set up by local folks and home cooks is undoubtedly not to be missed. 

Here are a few dishes from Nagaland you must try.

Galho 

Prepared with seasonal greens, smoked pork and local rice variants, Galho is a favourite staple among the people of Nagaland. It has a soupy consistency, and a bowlful of it is sure to keep you warm in the winter. There are no set rules of what to add to this dish–from fermented soya to bamboo, there are many options. 

Hinkejvu

This simple yet flavourful dish is prepared with colocasia, shredded cabbage leaves, local vegetables and mustard leaves. Apart from a pinch of salt and turmeric for colour, these are boiled sans any spices or aromatics. It is a staple across households and is eaten almost daily with other accompaniments, such as rice. 

Rosep Aon 

This dish is a traditional favourite among the Ao Naga Tribe. It is made by cooking mixed vegetables with dry fish, bamboo shoots and Sichuan pepper leaves. It is a preparation which is usually consumed as a side dish. 

Pork in Akhuni 

This is perhaps the most widely-known Naga dish. Smoked pork is mostly prepared with sesame seeds and fermented soybean, a staple ingredient in every household. However, the dish takes on different flavours from one house to the next. It is popularly consumed with rice and a dash of ‘Tathu’, a traditional chutney. 

Zutho 

Considered to be Nagaland’s traditional brew, Zutho is prepared locally by hand-pounding rice and mixing it with water till it resembles a paste. This is then mixed with dried quinoa leaves and left to ferment until it acquires a potent nutty, sweet and sour flavour. 

Amrusu 

This is a traditional dish of the Ao tribe, prepared by cooking ground rice, chicken, and bamboo shoots. A dish with a porridge-like consistency, this gets a dose of flavour from the addition of green chilli, ginger and garlic.