THE FOOD WE EAT NAGALAND
1. Axone (Also Akhuni)
Axone is fermented soybeans, it is made by going through few different stage to the making. Firstly, soybeans are cooked with plain water perfectly. Secondly, straining the water and transferring it to a basket made of bamboo, after that covering it with a banana leaf and leaving it near a fireplace. It usually takes 3-5 days for the fermentation to take place. Thirdly, dividing the fermented soybeans into parts of 150 to 200 gms and wrapping it in a banana leaf. Lastly, drying the wrapped fermented soybeans again near a fireplace until the banana leaves become darker in colour.
Some of the favourites dishes with Axone: Smoked pork with Axone, Dried fish with Axone, Chutney with Axone, Dried beef with Axone.
2. Dried Fish
Dried fish. Fresh fish rapidly deteriorates unless some way can be found to preserve it. Drying is a method of food preservation that works by removing water from the food, which inhibits the growth of microorganisms. Open air drying using the sun and the wind has been practised since ancient times to preserve food.
Naga people enjoys dried fish in many of their dishes in mostly with Chutney and with the soup that included potatoes, tomatoes, and chillies.
3. Anishi
Anishi is prepared from edible Colocasia species leaf mainly by Ao Naga tribe. The fresh mature green leaves are taken, washed, and then the leaves are stacked one above the other and wrapped finally with banana leaf. It is then kept aside for about a week till the leaves turn yellow. The yellow leaves are then ground into paste and cakes are made out of it. The cakes are dried over the fireplace in the kitchen. During grinding if desired, chilly, salt and ginger are added to it. The dried cakes are ready for use. It is cooked with dry meat especially with pork, which is the favourite dish of the Ao tribe.
4. Bamboo Shoot
Bamboo shoot fermentation process is done during May to June when new shoots are formed. Young and tender bamboo shoots are collected, the sheaths removed, pounded or sliced into small pieces and put in a conical bamboo basket with the inner wall lined with banana leaves. Prior to this, a hole is made at the bottom (tapered end) of the basket and a pointed bamboo stick a little longer than the length of the basket is inserted in the hole passing through the centre for draining the juice/sap. The basket is tied to a post, the upper portion covered with banana leaves and stones are placed above it as weight. The stick passing through the centre of the basket is turned/twisted from time to time to ensure proper drainage of the juice that comes out from the ground bamboo shoots which is collected in a container.
The bamboo shoots and juice get fermented within two weeks, which are now ready for use in cooking. In the olden day, they were stored in hollow internodes of bamboo with one end of the node removed and plugged with a leaf or a vat made of wood and covered with banana leaves. The juice is stored in Gourd shell/jar commonly used by the Nagas as a container. Also, the fermented bamboo shoots are dried in the sun as it produces a different aroma after drying and for longer storage. The dried bamboo shoots are graded according to size for preparing different dishes. Thus, from the above methods, three products of fermented bamboo shoots such as wet, dry and juice are obtained. Three products mentioned above are used in cooking meat or vegetable dishes. However, choice of the products for cooking depends on individual or tribes. The juice has the preservative property similar to vinegar and meat, fish or vegetables are cooked with it have longer shelf life.
5. Dried Pork and Beef
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