Judima: More than a beverage, it’s a story of culture, unity, and the timeless art of traditional brewing. Judima is a traditional wine of Dimasas. This ethinic rice wine is also the first traditional brew in the Northeast to receive GI tag under Assam. Ju in Dimasa Kachari means traditional brew and Dima is indicative of the Dimasa Kachari community
Judima was awarded the GI tag in 2021, recognizing its unique preparation method and cultural significance. This status helps protect the authenticity of the product and ensures that only wine produced in the specific region of Assam by the traditional method can be labeled as Judima.
Xaj – This is a drink made popular by the Ahoms and is essentially a fermented rice-beer the likes found in many other states. A variation of this is the Sulai which is brewed from either fermented rice or molasses.
Hor Alank – This is the traditional alcoholic beverage belonging to the Karbi tribe of Assam. This is an age-old recipe of brewing cooked rice with yeast culture ‘thap’ and distilling Hor Arak ‘alcohol’ from the beer. It has a sharp taste and is also used to preserve or add flavor to manthu or dried fish.
Jou bishi/Jumai – This is a rice beer prepared by Boro tribe of Assam. The starter culture which is used to prepare Jou is locally known as Angkur. In Bihu, one of the most important festivals of Assam, it’s an integral part of the celebration.
Sai-Apong – This is a very popular home made alcoholic rice beverage unique to the Mising tribe of upper Assam. This rice beer is traditionally prepared on the eve of Bhogali Bihu (harvest festival) by fermenting rice and is a day to day drink for the local people. It is prepared in every household of ‘Mising’ tribe of Assam and ‘Adi’ tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. Folklores say that the people of the ‘Mising’ tribe came together to drink the ceremonial alcohol to put an end to all their communal conflicts and restore peace and harmony. It is blackish to reddish brown, nearly transparent liquid with pleasant aroma and taste. Apong is considered a cultural heritage of these indigenous tribes of North East India and is one of the most well known ones too.
Post Views: 9
