Nagas have a weakness for snakes, rats, squirrels, dogs, cats, spiders, monkeys and red ants
Written by Webmaster Friday, 28 October 2011 17:17
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It would be an understatement
to say that the Nagas love meat. Sure, they love your regular (and boring) pork,
beef and chicken, but they also have a weakness for snakes, rats, squirrels,
dogs, cats, spiders, monkeys, red ants, and almost everything that is wild,
reports Prasanta Mazumdar from Dimapur.
The Nagas eat anything that
moves. They do not even spare insects and worms. But what they relish most is
the meat of wild animals. Warriors as they are by nature, the Nagas love
hunting, and the meat of wild animals fills them with great delight.
Rice is their staple food,
which is taken with meat. The meat is mostly pork, beef and chicken, but it can
also be snakes, snails, rats, squirrels, dogs, cats, mithuns, buffaloes, deer,
spiders, birds, crabs, monkeys, bee larvae, shrimps, red ants, and almost
everything that is wild. Elephants included. No part of an animal is wasted —
even blood, skin and intestines are eaten. Occasionally, however, they let the
skin be, and use it to make shields.
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"We have feasts throughout the year and no festivity
is complete without meat. We rear pigs, dogs, cats, chickens and buffaloes but
the meat of wild animals is always preferred," says K Sangtam, a Naga elder.
"Hunting is something the Nagas have practiced for ages and it's a matter of
pride for a hunter if he has the highest number of kills," he adds.
Most meat dishes are boiled with suitable ingredients and spices. Frogs, bee larvae and insects are cooked till dry (with ginger, garlic and chilly). Snail is cooked with a lot of chillies. For dog meat, the best spices are ginger, Naga pepper and dried red chillies. Meat is also cooked with lettuce and spinach leaves. Chilly, mostly 'bhut jolokia or Naga mircha', and bamboo shoot are equally popular.
Not all species of dogs, frogs, snails, worms and insects are eaten. The Nagas say frog meat tastes like chicken. The 'Wednesday Bazaar' in Dimapur is very dear to these tribals for the array of animals, insects and worms sold here. A dog is sold (alive) for Rs500-Rs600. Frogs and (river) snails cost Rs200-Rs250 a kg. The river snails, which are very small in size, are cooked with 'daal' and sucked. The bazaar teems with customers every week. The sellers are mostly locals and they deal in local fruits, animals, insects, worms, vegetables, traditional utensils, garments, ornaments, handicraft items, etc. Nagas from all walks of life — some from remote areas — come here for shopping.
I remember once eating a pork dish at a friend's place in Dimapur. He is a Sumi (tribe) Naga and an inspector in Nagaland police. The Sumis are known to cook the best smoked meat dishes with axone. So, one day he called me home for lunch. He told me he had slaughtered a pig. I had eaten pork before but had never had it with axone. Initially, I was a bit hesitant as I did not like the smell. It stank. But once I got over the smell, I relished the dish. The rice I had with the meat was equally yummy.
On another trip to Dimapur, I got to taste a different pork dish at the residence of a journalist friend. It was cooked with spices and the blood of the animal. Honestly, I could not enjoy it as the thought that I was drinking (or rather, eating) blood made me uncomfortable. Generally, when an animal is slaughtered, the Nagas drain the blood into a big bowl, and use it in meat dishes once it turns cold. (The blood turns into a solid, paneer-like substance once it gets cold. It is then cut into pieces and used to prepare a curry.)
