Traditional Fermented Foods of Northeast India

Abstract

Northeastern India, with a diverse ethnic community, offers an excellent opportunity for ethno-microbiology studies. In northeast India, several fermented foods and beverages are prepared from a wide variety of substrates like cereals, green leafy vegetables, legumes, milk, bamboo, and rice. Some traditional fermented foods and alcoholic beverages are gundruk, sinki, kinema, mohi, churpii, selroti, dalbari, idli, dosa, dhokla, rabadi, turungbai, niziangsang, iromba, haria, kodoko jaanr, bhanti jaanr, zutho, sujen, xaaj, and kanji. Indigenous fermented foods are an intrinsic part of the diet of these ethnic tribes. These foods increase the absorption of vital minerals from the gastrointestinal tract, thus preventing mineral deficiencies; improving gastrointestinal disorders, allergic reacti