By H.H. Mohrmen
The Jadoh stall or the tea shops are popular eateries in the Khasi and Jañtia hills region, and one can find them everywhere. For any food aficionado who wants to try local food, the jadoh stalls are the only places to visit. These shops have existed for ages and serve the sole purpose of providing food to travelers passing through the area. These shops across the region serve local food and have attracted both local and non-local clients. However, what is lacking is ensuring that the food is nutritious and that the plating or presentation of the food is appealing.
Jadoh, with its yellowish color, is a must-have item at any feast in the Khasi and Jañtia region of the state. It is called Jadoh a combination of two words ‘ja’ rice and ‘doh’ meat because rice is cooked in chicken or pork broth, and the yellowish color is due to the turmeric powder in the food. The food in these shops is served in an old and traditional manner, without any attempt to improve the appearance or serve the food in a way that is appealing to the clients’ eyes.
Food must have a visually appealing look
Improving the appearance and working on the presentation of local indigenous food is now attracting many young chefs and tribal food aficionados. Tribal foods are no longer limited to items found only in neighbourhood jadoh stalls; working on aesthetically plating local indigenous food is becoming popular even among young people. I heard the phrase ‘eat your rainbow’ for the first time when I attended a dinner hosted by Bah Phrang Roy and his wife, Anita. Kong Anita reminded us that the colors of the dishes represent the diversity of food offered on the plate, which is also nutritious. The dinner made me realize that the more colorful the food is, the more nutritious it is. What is the lesson learned from this episode? The incident made me realize that what is lacking in our food is its appearance.
There are now many cafes specializing in and running traditional eateries, and one such example is the ‘You and I Café,’ which is very popular. These cafes or restaurants cater to clientele interested in the indigenous food system only. There are also organizations like NESFAS, SSC, and SURE that have not only worked on improving the presentation of indigenous foods in the state but, more importantly, have worked hard to ensure that when served, the food varieties are no less nutritious than other foods available in the market.
Not just appearance,
but it is nutritious too
The uniqueness of the intervention is that the food served should not only appeal to the eater’s taste buds, but it should also ensure that the food is nutritious and healthy. The ten food groups’ concept was introduced by a United Nations agency, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Foods are classified into all starchy stable food in one group, beans and peas in another, nuts and seeds in one group, dairy products in one group, and flesh food in another. Eggs are classified in one group, vitamin A-rich dark green leafy vegetables in another, and other vitamin A-rich vegetables and fruits in another. Other vegetables and fruits are kept under two separate groups. Of the ten food groups, for an optimum diet, a person must consume at least five food groups in a day. Foods in these cafés promoted by these organizations ensure that the food served contains at least five food groups.
Recently, a local chef from Shillong was hired by NESFAS as part of a program to improve school meals in the region. The chef came up with a menu of creative dishes made from local food items available in the area. The dishes include rymbai ja (soya bean) soup, a rice and bean Japanese-style sweet soup, bean stew with vegetables made of jhur phon and rymbai ja, and krai tungtap, a chutney made of millet and fermented fish.
There is an item made of shriew bad umphniang sohmyngken and krai, which is an item made of yam with millet and chili oil, as well as pylleng khleh with jhur im, or egg salad with a variety of assorted herbs. The chef introduced another creative approach to cooking lentils with pumpkin. Additionally, there are fritters made from various herbs, or pakawri jhur-im, and to top it all off, there is phan karo (sweet potato) halwa. The diversity of food items in the region proves that there is no shortage of food items available in the area to curate any kind of food to cater to the eaters’ fancy. The point is that young people nowadays are not afraid of trying to improve local indigenous foods and drinks.
Catching up with the popular café culture
The Meiramew or Beiramaw cafes are becoming popular now, and these food joints not only serve traditional and nutritious food but also take care of sourcing the food they serve. To ensure that the food is fresh and benefits the local people, care is taken to source all the food served from farmers and local producers only. The cafes not only serve local food, but they also take care to serve food that is unique to the region. Popularizing unique local dishes ensures that only special dishes that are unique to that particular region are served. For instance, in the Bhoi area, “ja tyndong,” or rice cooked in a bamboo piece, is served, and in the War Jañtia area, fish curry and some fish, which are delicacies of the local people, are served. The cafes, while following the popular café trend, also popularize wild edibles available in the area.
Wine, but not local spirits
In an attempt to make the best use of the fruits grown in the state, which are both popular and exotic, the government has recently legalized winemaking using local fruits. With the state producing many kinds of fruits, the making of fruit wine is also becoming popular.
It was a pleasant surprise that during one’s maiden visit to the CourtYard hotel by Marriott, on the beverage menu of the hotel bar, there is an item named “kynraw u pa.” I was unable to decipher the drink’s name after just one reading. But it wasn’t until I read the item on the menu for a second time that I realized it was a Pnar slang. ‘Kynraw’ is the lingo for local ale, and “kynraw u pa” meant “my father’s drink.” In the local Pnar parlance, the more polite and acceptable name for the local ale or ‘i kiad’ is ‘i kynraw,’ which literally means a thing. I’m sure the local brew is used in the cocktail, which is being promoted by the curator, who is unquestionably a Pnar.
Local Pnar drink is mostly made of rice and sometimes millet. The only traditional process of alcohol- making among the Pnar is by fermenting ‘i yndem’ and ‘i sadhiar.’ Rice beer, also called ‘i pyrnah i pyrjiñ,’ is the most important drink. It is also an important item in performing different rites and rituals in traditional religious practices.
There is a difference in the process of making rice beer and ka kiad. Ka kiad, or local alcohol, is made by distilling, while rice beer is made by fermenting rice or millet, as the case may be. In fermenting rice beer, a much more rudimentary product is called ‘yndem,’ and a refined product is called ‘sadhiar’ in Pnar. Ka kiad is a typical alcohol and the tradition of making ka kiad is not native, but an influence from outside culture.
Local rice beer not receiving due recognition
Rice beer, which is a traditional drink of the people since time immemorial, is now being looked down upon and neglected. The effort to promote fruit wine is praiseworthy, but local rice beer also needs to be promoted. Catching up with the trend that helps popularize indigenous foods, it is only fitting and correct that the government should promote local beverages, especially the popular rice beer.