9 Popular Assamese Foods that You Should Try on Your Assam Trip

Home » Local and Authentic Assamese Foods to Try

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Planning a trip to Assam? Try the best dishes from Assamese cuisine, curated for you in this article, and gain an insight into the local flavors of the North-East.

India is a country of rich cultures, traditions, and delicious foods. Indian food is known for its flavors, use of spices, and fusion of culture and innovation. With the presence of diverse cultures and languages comes a variety of foods. SOTC gives you best Northeast Tour Packages. Every state or district in India is known for its own set of authentic foods. When it comes to the northeastern states, Assamese cuisine tops the list.

The popular food of Assam is famous for its distinctive taste and aroma. Assamese cuisine is quite different from that of other states. It follows a unique cooking process and has its own attributes and recipes. If you want to enjoy authentic Assamese foods, then try the local cuisine while you are there. It is these local dishes that introduce you to the real flavour of Assam that has been there since the days of our ancestors.

What does Assam food taste like?

The Assamese mostly enjoy roasted and steamed foods. Rice is the staple food in Assam. You will find several varieties of rice there like Joha, Japonica, Saul bora, Basmati, among several others.

Like north Indians, the Assamese are fond of mustard oil. All of their foods are cooked in mustard oil, which gives a rich aroma to the dishes. The common ingredients used in Assamese food are bamboo shoots, olives, bananas, jackfruit, and plenty of green vegetables and meat. The foods of Assam are not very hot but include a lot of rich spices in their preparation, including cardamom, panch forna, garlic, ginger, coriander, and cumin.

The Assamese enjoy eating duck, pigeon, and chicken meat along with bamboo shoots and rice. Stir-fried silkworm is a renowned delicacy that is enjoyed all over Assam. Though squeamish outsiders may find this troublesome, it’s certainly worth a try. When it comes to desserts, the Assamese make kheer, pithas, and coconut laddoos.

If you are a non-vegetarian, Assam is a gastronomic heaven for you. They have mouth-watering and savory chicken and fish dishes. You will fall in love with some of these dishes, such as masor tenga and the local chicken curry.

1. Duck Meat Curry or Hanhor Mangkho

The Assamese love duck meat. It is the most loved local curry in the state. The main ingredient in this dish is the soft and mushy duck meat. Often, the meat is cooked with lentils, pumpkin, and sesame seeds. The most popular duck meat curry recipe is the one that is made using ash gourd.

The Assamese people enjoy this authentic duck meat curry on special occasions.

2. Masor Tenga

Masor tenga is originally a tangy fish curry. It is a famous food in Assam. The delicacy is made using tomato tart, lemon, and outenga. Outenga is also known as elephant ear. Every household in Assam makes this tangy fish curry in its own way. However, the above three main ingredients remain the same.

3. Khar

Khar is a local ingredient as well as the name of the dish that is made using it. Assamese people give the name Khar to any dish that is made using the ingredient. It is a liquid solution made using water and dried, charred banana fruit skin. The peels are mixed with water and then filtered to get khar as the final product.

It is cooked with vegetables, lentils, meat, or fish. The Assamese believe that khar has an appealing taste as well as medicinal properties. It is supposedly good for the digestive system and for maintaining your overall gut health.

4. Pitika

Pitika is basically the comfort food of Assam. Vegetarians enjoy this simple and plain dish. It is a mix of boiled and mashed vegetables.

This dish uses potatoes, pumpkins, mustard oil, red lentils, and eggplant. To enhance the taste of the dish, Assamese also add chopped onions, green chillies, ginger, and coriander leaves. Some even add fish to this dish.

5. Baanhgajor Lagot Kukura

Assamese cuisine is famous for the use of bamboo shoots. It is used in many of the popular foods of Assam.

Baanhgajor lagot kukura is a recipe that involves chicken and bamboo shoots as the main ingredients. It is a curry cooked with chicken meat, lentils, and fresh bamboo shoots. You might be sceptical about the taste of bamboo shoots. However, it adds a unique and distinct flavour to any dish.

6. Stir-fried Silkworm

When in Assam, you must try the spicy dish made with stir-fried silkworms. It might seem weird to you. However, the Assamese love to eat silkworms.

It is a perfect snack to go with beer and other kinds of alcohol. This is an exotic tribal dish made with spices and vegetables. The larvae are crunchy on the outside and the meat inside has a soft, liquid-like texture.

7. Pitha

Pitha is another famous food of Assam. It is not a main-course dish. You can have it as a snack or for breakfast.

Pithas are made using rice flour. It is sweet and savory to the taste. People often steam or fry stuffed pithas and enjoy them on special occasions. They are made during winters in every traditional Assamese household.

8. Ou Tenga

Ou Tenga is an elephant apple chutney that is loved across the state of Assam. It is a delightfully sweet and tangy chutney made with ou (elephant apple) and jaggery. The ou is boiled first, and then lightly mashed. The jaggery is then added after it has been sautéed with mustard seeds in a small amount of oil. After this, the dish is ready to serve as a delicious accompaniment to supper.

9. Paror Mangkho

Paror Mangkho is a pigeon-meat curry. Though pigeon meat is banned all over India, it is a delicacy in Assam. The dish is best enjoyed with koldil, which is a kind of banana flower. Koldil is a common side dish in Assam.

If you’re planning to travel Assam, then don’t worry! Simply book SOTC: Assam Tour Packages and we’ll take care of the rest.

FAQs:

Q: What are the main ingredients used in Assamese foods?

A: Elephant ear, khar, koldil, mustard oil, and bamboo shoots are some of the main ingredients used to make the best dishes in Assam.

Q: What are the popular foods of Assam?

A: The Assam food list above enlists the best local and authentic dishes of Assam. However, some of the most loved dishes include pitha, pitika, masor tenga, baanhgajor lagot kukura and hanhor mangkho.

Q: Is Assamese cuisine primarily vegetarian or non-vegetarian?

A: Although Assamese cuisine is known for its many exotic non-veg dishes, some of which use bamboo shoots, it also has the presence of a rich body of vegetarian dishes. Some of these dishes made from plant parts are ou tenga, pitha, and pitika.