Table 2.
Documented ethnic food products consumed by the Garo indigenous communities in West Garo Hills, state of Meghalaya in north-eastern India
| Local food or dish based on | Composition | Source (including wild edible plants) | Frequency of intake |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice | |||
| 1.‘Chira’(flour of sticky rice) | Minil (Sticky rice) | Oryza sativa | Occasional |
| 2.‘Rongchu’(beaten rice) | Local rice varieties | Oryza sativa | Seasonal |
| 3.‘Minil pita’ | Minil (sticky rice), local rice, jaggery | Oryza sativa | Occasional |
| 4.‘Minilrita’(steamed sticky rice) | Minil (sticky rice), water, black sesame (optional) | Oryza sativa, Sesamum indicum | Weekly |
| 5.‘Chu bitchi’(rice beer) | Minil (Sticky rice) ormisi (foxtail millet), rice flour, red chillies, fern | Minil (Oryza sativa), Setariaitalica, Athyrium spp. | Festivals and occasions |
| 6.‘Jakkep’ | Minil (Sticky rice), water, black sesame, jiggery | Oryza sativa, Sesasum indicum | Occasional |
| Meat | |||
| 1.‘Wak, Do.o’, ‘nat.tok’or ‘brenga’ | Pork,chicken, or fish, kalchi (an alkaline additive prepared from banana pseudostem), green chillies and ginger | Capsicum annum, Zingiber officinale | Occasionally |
| 2.‘Wak,Do.o’ or ‘matchupura’ | Pork, chicken, or beef, rice flour, green chillies, ground ginger, kalchi, green leafy vegetables | Oryza sativa, Capsicum annum, Zingiber officinale, Paederia foetida, Clerodendrum glandulosum, Hibiscus sabdariffa | Weekly |
| 3.‘Wak,Do.o,‘matchu’, or ‘n.atok kappa’ | Porkorchickenor beefor fish,green chillies, and ginger cooked with kalchi | Capsicum annum, Zingiber officinale | Weekly |
| Bamboo | |||
|
1.‘Me.ameseng’ (fermented bamboo shoot) |
Bamboo, water | Dendrocalamus hamiltonii | Weekly |
| Cultivated and wild fruits | |||
| 1.‘Chambil gran’ | Fruits of Citrus macroptera | Citrus macroptera | Seasonal |
| 2.‘Sokmil gran’ | Fruits of Calamus erectus | Calamus erectus | Seasonal |
| 3.‘Memangnarang gran’ | Fruits of Citrus indica | Citrus indica | Occasional |
| 4.Chirore’ | Fruits of Terminalia bellerica | Terminalia bellerica | Seasonal |
| 5.‘Angkil gran’ and ‘angkilginchi’ | Whole fruit and endocarp of localber | Ziziphus mauritiana | Seasonal |
| Cultivated and wild leaves | |||
| 1.‘Me.jak gran’ | Leaves of local mustard | Brassica juncea | Seasonal |
| 2.‘Alot gran’ | Phlogacanthus thyrsiformis | Phlogacanthus thyrsiformis | Occasional |
| 3.‘Gal.damikil gran’ and ‘gal.dagisi’ | Dried calyx and leaves of Hibiscus safdariffa | Hibiscus safdariffa | Occasional |
| 4.‘Do.dim’(fermented soyabean) | Soyabean and kalchi |
Glycine max, Musa spp. |
Weekly |
| Fish | |||
| 1.‘We.tepa’ or O.sroma | Freshwater fish orleafy vegetables, kalchi, ginger, and chillies | Amorphophallus paeoniifolius, Manihot esculenta, Capsicum annum, Zingiber officinale | Occasionally |
| 2.‘Na’kambitchi’ | Fermented fish, kalchi, green chillies, and ginger | Capsicum annum, Zingiber officinale | Daily |
|
3.‘Nakamsu.a’ (fermented fish) |
Local fish (na.ware, chenda, putti), kalchi (alkaline additive) | Pseudostem of Musa spp. | Daily |