Christmas in the North East: bonfire, doughnuts and potluck
Live MintFor Zeinorin Stephen, who grew up in Ukhrul in Manipur, Christmas feasts are imbued with memories of the fireplace. This is the season for feasting on the much loved raphei hoksa, which sees a whole pig, including the head and intestines, being braised overnight with either ground Sirarakhong or hau chillies in the traditional Longpi pot, handcrafted black stone pottery ideal for slow-cooking meats and lentils. In the towns and villages of Nagaland, the morning mass on Christmas Day is followed by a traditional meal of pork and fermented bamboo shoot, seasonal greens and chutney. “From slaughtering the pig to cleaning it, and then stirring the pot for several hours, it means serious labour,” says Marak, who hosts the popular YouTube channel Eat Your Kappa. Renthlei, who runs Josie’s Kitchen in Mumbai, talks fondly of vawksa thi thun, a speciality dish made of blood sausages, typically consisting of offals, including pig blood.
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Christmas in the North East: bonfire, doughnuts and potluck
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