Assamese Ethnic Food: A Primer on Assamese Cuisine

Assamese Cuisine - Traditional Food Of Assam.

For a large number of travel-buffs, there is no better reason to travel than food. Good food is indeed one of the greatest pleasures in life, and you do not need to particularly be a foodie to know that.

Different cuisines are symbolic of the diversity in various cultures and the world in itself- after all, the ingredients do not change much, but the end outcome is different from place to place.

Assam is known for its quaint hills, lush forests and tea plantations, but very few know about the delectable cuisine of Assam. In fact, many people even take a car on rent in Guwahati, so that they can explore and try out some fantastic food items available there.

Some Great Dishes from Assam

The main aspect of Assamese cuisine which makes it great is their use of diverse flavours and herbs. Always spot on, these herbs create an excellent balance in the dishes. The Bengali influence on these delicacies is quite evident.

Let us take a look at some of the most famous dishes of Assamese cuisine:

Khar

Khar is a meat delicacy and is prepared from raw papaya, taro, pulses and the main non-veg ingredient - fish. For giving a unique flavour to the dish, all the ingredients are filtered through dried banana leaves before putting them together. It is mainly consumed with rice for lunch.

Duck Meat Curry

Duck meat and ash gourd are cooked together in an open dish, to make this delicious delicacy. Spices are used aplenty, so the final result includes meat that is high on flavour and wonderfully overpowering. The curry can be cooked in a variety of ways, using lentil, pumpkin or sesame, among other things- it depends upon the preference of the person.

Maasor Tenga

Maasor Tenga or spicy fish curry is one of the most refreshing dishes in Assamese cuisine. The curry is made out of sour ingredients, resulting in a tangy fish curry. The broth of the curry is rich and made up of tomato, outenga and lemon. The fish is cooked slowly in this broth so that all the flavours infuse well into it. A staple of most homes, this is also one of the most delicious dishes in Assam.

Aloo Pitika

Aloo Pitika or Assamese mashed potatoes is the comfort food of many of the Assamese population. Prepare from mashed potatoes, mustard oil, onion, salt and coriander, Aloo pitika can be consumed as part of your lunch or dinner.

Ou Khatta

A chutney made to accompany other dishes, Ou Khatta is made out of elephant apple and jaggery. The apple is initially boiled, and then lightly mashed. Mustard seeds and a little amount of oil are added for the apple to be sautéed so that the resulting dish is a tasty sweet and sour chutney.

Assamese cuisine is generally intertwined with that of Bengal since both have similar cultures and tastes. However, Assam does have a few dishes of its own, like the ones mentioned above. There are also many dishes to explore, including some made out of unique ingredients like silkworms and the likes.

So, use a Guwahati taxi service, and start exploring the wonderful cuisine of Assam!