Naga market walk and a smoked pork lunch
Naga food is direct and bold: meat smoked over the kitchen fire, sour fermented bamboo shoot, axone, a pungent fermented soybean, and the raja mircha, one of the hottest chillies in the world. Kohima's local market shows all of it, along with river fish, snails, wild greens, ginger, sticky rice and, in some stalls, edible insects and larvae, which surprise many visitors.
Your guide walks you through the market, explains how each ingredient is used and helps you buy what is needed for lunch. Then we go to a family home, often in a nearby village, where the cook shows how to prepare smoked pork with bamboo shoot, a chutney of roasted chilli and tomato, boiled greens and rice. You can help or simply watch.
The meal is eaten together around the table, with plenty of conversation about Naga life, church, festivals and the changes of recent decades. Spice levels can be adjusted. Remember that Nagaland is officially dry, so rice beer appears only where custom allows.
Questions travellers ask
Good to know
What is Naga food like?
Naga food is based on rice, smoked and boiled meats, especially pork, fermented ingredients such as bamboo shoot and axone, and very hot chillies. It uses little oil and few spices compared with other Indian cuisines, relying on smoke, sourness and heat for flavour.
What is axone?
Axone, also spelled akhuni, is fermented soybean used in Naga cooking. It has a strong, pungent smell and a deep savoury flavour, and is cooked with pork or made into chutneys. It is a defining taste of Nagaland.
Is alcohol available in Nagaland?
Nagaland has prohibited the sale of alcohol since 1989, so it is officially a dry state. Traditional rice beer has a place in some customs and festivals. Do not bring alcohol into the state, and respect local laws. Check current status before you travel.
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