Day before yesterday I was watching the movie @axone._ ( pronounced Akhuni) . It is one of those rare movies which show the lives of folks from North East India primarily Nagas, shot mostly in Humayunpur a place introduced to me by @plavaneeta_borah and have explored it a bit since then . Infact I owe it a lot to Plav for introducing me quite a bit to the nuances of the Cuisine. For that I am really thankful. The movie revolves around how the girls want to cook some Akhuni with smoked pork for the bride & how they face resistance from the neighbors because of its strong smell. Akhuni is made from soybeans which is very suited to grow in Naga Hills . The beans are boiled & left to fermented in the sun. This is wrapped in Banana leaves and ready to use when it smells right as shown in the movie. The movie is a very poignant reminder of the discrimination folks from North East India face & also raises some pertinent questions. While everyone has the right to eat and cook the food they wish to have , in closely packed houses, is it okay to cook pungent seemingly strong smelling foods? I could really empathize with this as one of my flatmates blew his fuse because I cooked some karuvadu ( dried anchovies) . I have been on the other side too when I couldn't really stand durian in the mini bar! On my plate though is a messy but beautiful plate of Naga Food by @avi_seyie_sk .It has some pork with Axone, freshwater snails cooked with michinga patta leaves ( Naga Sichuan pepper leaves) & some chicken with bamboo shoot & Naga Morich ( Naga Chilly). All very distinctive, super tasty which is had with a mix of black and white sticky rice rendering them purple & a simple comforting dal. From my experience in Dimapur & Kohima, most of the Naga meals come with some greens or boiled vegetables which is the case here too.I don't think these state fairs like Paryatan Parv is going to happen this year. So reminiscing those wonderful times & some food for thought. #nagafood #suminaga #axone #akhuni #northeast #northeastindia #deliciousandnutritious #snails #divinefood #tribalfood #fermentation #netflix #movie #throwbacktuesday (at Paryatan Parv, India Gate) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBe-il1F5pq/?igshid=nwqh14nb8kub
