Food Stock in Assamese Culture Monika Das Department of Assamese Rabindranath Tagore University, Hojai, Assam

IJARSCT ISSN (Online) 2581-9429

International Journal of Advanced Research in Science, Communication and Technology (IJARSCT)

Volume 4, Issue 2, April 2021 Impact Factor: 4.819

Abstract: Depending on the natural and geographical environment, the food supply of a single ethnic group or community in a region is based on. Just as the natural environment caters to the food supply, so too does the diet seem to be accepted by all. Therefore, there is a difference between the food security of the people living in the desert and the food security of the people living in the coastal areas. If you look at it from that side it is a combination of innumerable hills and plain areas. The diversity of its geographical and natural environment is remarkable. There are many rivers and sub-rivers like Brahmaputra, Dihing, Dichang etc that flows through the chest of the Assam. Therefore Assam is also known as reverie area (mother zone of river). The climate of Assam is neither hot nor cold. As well as the climate, Assam is naturally a fairly pristine state. Due to the abundance of paddy in Assam; rice is the staple food of these people. In this article we will discuss about vegetables, fish, and meat drinks etc. which are taken with rice.

Keywords: Food stock, Assamese culture, Pitha, Dishes

I. INTRODUCTION Assamese culture is influenced by these two threads as the Assamese culture is a combination of Aryan and non Aryan elements. This Aryan and non Aryan influence exists in all aspects of Assamese culture .Food is one of the basic human needs. People eat to survive although this food has a tasteful identity. Everyone needs to have a taste for food and a unique way of wearing clothes. This is because the cultural mindset of a nation can be identified only through taste. This taste is found in the food and cuisine of Assamese people. Rice is the staple food of Assam and almost all foods are associated with this rice. This rice is prepared to eat with the various recopies of vegetables, fish, meat etc. It is usually made using home grown vegetables, kochu (taro root), dhekia (fern), kolpasala (planteria) and other medicinal herbs also. Assamese people eat tamol-paan (betel-nut) after eating rice to cleanse their mouth. Apart from these, the people of Assam are fond of milk, curd, refreshments etc. as well as tea, which are an essential part of their daily life. Here an attempt should be made to discuss such variations or characteristics of Assamese food.

II. CHARACTERISTICS OF ASSAMESE FOOD Due to the influence of different culture in Assamese culture, there are differences between Assamese food habits. Dry food in the hill areas as well as fresh food in plain areas that have both affects. The people of hill areas prepared food by storing or drying it to store food for long periods of time such that they will haven’t suffer in food crisis. The dried food contains fish, meat, potatoes, radish and other stalks too. The people of the plains get all the things they need. So, they don't store the item dry, although they keep the fish and meat dry. There are many examples of how to cook fish by the Assamese people like "oww e rou e"(Elephant Apple with rohu fish), "burha borali poka teteli" (old borali fish with tamarind), "owtenga dhekia puthi masor jhul (fish curry)" khalehe bujiba suwadare mul etc. These examples indicate the love of fish of Assamese people. Khar (homemade soda) is one of the favorite foods of Assamese people. This khar is especially prepared by shading the dry peel of bhimkol (plaintain). Excluding khar from Assamese food will deplete Assamese food resources. The Assamese people also known as "Kharkhua Asomiya". As well as khar, the tenga (sour) dishes are favorite food of Assamese people. The Assamese people have taken the tasty food with the special tenga curry like fish tenga, dal with elephant apple etc. In addition, green leafy vegetables are included in the Assamese food list. In case of meat, the use of solid or hard meat has been reduced. Instead of it, poultry meat is the most widely used meat by Assamese people. In short the following characteristics of Assamese food have been short Copyright to IJARSCT DOI: 10.48175/IJARSCT-1072 589 www.ijarsct.co.in IJARSCT ISSN (Online) 2581-9429

International Journal of Advanced Research in Science, Communication and Technology (IJARSCT)

Volume 4, Issue 2, April 2021 Impact Factor: 4.819

lists which are given below: 1. A combination of green leafy vegetables 2. Use of fragrant leaf litter. 3. Extensive use of khar (homemade soda). 4. Excess use of tangy flavoring ingredients. 5. The maximum use of fish. 6. The use of medicinal plnts. 7. Minimum use of masala and fats. 8. Use of dried food and achar (pickle). 9. Use of bitter ingredients. 10. Taste of pura pitika (mashed potato) 11. Use of steamed food.

III. INGREDIENTS USED IN COOKING The Paddy is the main crop of Assam. There are different types of paddy that cultivated in Assam are like Joha, Bora, Ognishali, Moinagiri, Aaizong, Malbhog, Khuagmoni, Bokulbora, Sunkuni, Ranjit, Aahu, Dariya, Tulsi bora, Kosudola etc. Apart from this, from these rice various types of food are made by the Assamese people. This rice can be make in different ways. For example: gorom bhat, korkora, poita, nihoni korha etc. Curry (aanja or sobji) is commonly used to eat with rice, where commonly vegetables are used to make curry or sobji. The leafy vegetables like lai shak (mustard green), Khutura (Green amarnath), Tengeshi, Jilmil (White goosefoot), Modhu khuleng, Morolia, Dhekia (fern) Paleng (spinach) Brahmi, Water spinach, Long coriander, heart leaf, fenugreek greens, roselle tarvine etc. Non leafy vegetables like papaya, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, pumpkin, teasle gourd, cabbage, turnip, brinjal, tomato, ridge gourd, white gourd etc. Some medicinal herbs are also included in the list of Assamese food. Among them Manimuni (Asiatic pennywort), Bhedailota (Skunk vine) Matikaduri (White goosefoot), Durun, Purnonova (Tarvine), Mint, heart leaf, curry leaf etc. are the some main leafy medicinal plants. Although these medicinal leafy vegetables are given to unhealthy persons those are suffers in indigestion or any other stomach diseases, yet these vegetables can eat other healthy persons also. Because they are more beneficial to the human beings. As Assamese people are non vegetarians, they eat fish and meat in addition to vegetables. Different species of fish such as Puthi (olive barb), Kholoihona (Banded colisa), Heengra (stripped dwarf cat fish), Borali (Fresh water shark) Pabho (Gangetic ailia) Magur, Catla etc. And meat like chicken, duck, pigeon, goat, deer, pork and different species of birds are eaten by the Assamese people. In addition, the Assamese people eat different types of insects like amroli paruwa, crickets, cicades, grasshoppers, ants, various betel grubs and different species of caterpillar etc.

IV. ASSAMESE TRADITIONAL CUISINE Khar, tenga, pitika and bamboo shoots are some of the Assamese specialties. Assamese people are also seen to be preparing and conserving khar for the whole year. This is because of the fact that there is a lot of khar in the daily diet. Therefore it is like a rule to have khar in the every Assamese kitchen. In the past, khar was used in place of salt in Assam. It's the reason why khar is widely used in Assamese cuisine. Some rules such as turmeric and onion should not be used in khar anja. Assam is very much rich in Bamboo (Bambuseae). This bamboo is used to make different types of furnitures, houses and the bambooshoot (khorisa) is also used as a food .It is one of the favorite food of assamese people. Usually the name of bamboos like Jati, Kako, Mukal etc are used to make khorisa. These bambooshoot is also used in to make fish, meat and different types of curry. It's taste is amazing. Tenga recepie is also most favorable dish of Assamese people. They make this tenga dish with dal, fish and other vegetables too. The different type of tenga that used in dishes of assamese people are - elephant apple, roselle, olive, tamarind, lemon, tomato, Indian gooseberry, Ambrella etc. Pitika is another one favorite recepie of Assamese people. It's a such type of tasty recepie that in less time and at less cost we can eat with rice .That's why everyone loves it. Usually Pitika is served with poita, korkora rice,

International Journal of Advanced Research in Science, Communication and Technology (IJARSCT)

Volume 4, Issue 2, April 2021 Impact Factor: 4.819

even though we can eat pitika in all time with any rice. Pitika is prepared by drying tomato, potato, brinjal, fish etc in fire and then add to it salt, chilly and sometime we can eat one tablespoon of mustard oil also to given taste or more. Therefore we can make pitika by boiling different type of vegetables and other any ingredients which are suitable to make pitika. Some important Assamese cuisine are khar of papaya, khar of cabbage kharoni rice, khar with fish and bottle gourd etc, Fish curry with heart leaf and curry leaves, fish with elephant apple, duck curry with white gourd, pigeon meat with banana flower ,fish head with banana stem, chicken with mustard green, fish with bambooshoot, pork with mustard green etc.

V. ASSAMESE TRADITIONAL PITHA (CAKE PAN) Cake pan (pitha) and jolpan are one of the major sources of Assamese food. Without these cake pan and jolpan the Bihu festival of Assamese people is incomplete. Rice is used to make pitha (cake pan). The cakes (pitha) are made from ricehusk or riceflour. To make jolpan the Assamese people generally used the rice of Joha, Bora etc. Chira (flattened rice), muri (glutinous), aakhoi (puffed rice) etc. are made from these rice also. Snacks (jolpan) are served with yogurt, sugar, jaggery, and cream. Although Assamese cake (pitha) is a favorite food of Assamese people, even it is generally associated with Bihu festival. They make pitha pona specially during the festival of Bihu. Assamese people have more skilled in making various cakes with rice as the main ingredient. Name of Some Assamese traditional pitha like Tilpitha, Ghila pitha, Telpitha, Khutuli pitha, Tupula pitha, Japori pitha, Luthuri pitha, Laupitha, kol pitha etc.

VI. FOLKLORE ASSOCIATED WITH ASSAMESE CUISINE Like eating food with proper diet is beneficial to the health of human beings unlike eating food at non limits with no diet is harmful for human. That's why; there are certain rules or practices for eating food in every community. In this case, Assamese people are no exception. They also follow the different rules at the time of eating food. The Assamese people have doing fast on aaunshi or Ekadoshi. They don't eat all vegetables at a particular day of the week. They haven’t taken some food on particular days. For example: people suffer on acne if they eat pumpkin on the Protipod days, suffers in indigestion if they eat coconut in the days of soptomi, skin allergy creates if people eat brinjal on the days of Troyodoshi. Again bitter food are not allowed on Tuesday and Monday, Leafy vegetables are not eaten at night by the Assamese people .The Assamese people also believed that eating yogurt at night is harmful for the health. In addition, there are various rules about what to eat in what type of pot .For example: Yogurt should not be kept in a Bellmetal pot, if milk kept in an aluminum container; it’s dangerous to the human health. On the other hand keeping water on a bellmetal pot is beneficial to health. For Cooking food on a chowka is always arranged to the east side .The people also sit to the east side, when they drink and eat food.

VII. CONCLUSION Food is one of the most important aspects of Assamese culture. The Assamese food tradition has been going on like this for a long time. The food consumed by Assamese people can be considered healthy. Assamese food has undergone radical changes due to globalization. The influence of foreign food in the place of traditional food can also be seen. This is not a positive sighn for the culture. So, every Assamese people needs to be aware for it. Any way the Assamese food indicates the taste of Assamese people. Assamese food resources are so widely distributed that it is not possible to describe it in a single article. Therefore an attempt has been made capture the identity of Assamese food stock.

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