The World's Food

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Achin pinam

Spiced rice, rice mixed with okko leaves and cooked inside a bamboo tube

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Amin

Stewed chicken with rice cakes or thickened with rice flour, ginger, dried bamboo shoots, ginger

Drink

Apong

Apo or apong is an alcohol drink commonly found among the tribes in the northeast india states of arunachal pradesh and assam. it is prepared by fermentation of rice. it is known by various names across different tribes in arunachal pradesh and assam. the nyishi people, who form the national part of the local tribal population in arunachal prades, celebrate nyokum annually. they serve the local drink, apo. the nyishi people offer the drink, every time they drink it, to the spirits (wiyu) by letting few drops of it fall on the ground. other occasions when app is served is during annually organized ancestor worship ceremonies. also during the festival of bihu,nyokum, dree, solung,mopin ali aye ligangm, nme-damme, and the annual agricultural programs like ‘no-khua and no bhiri’ .apo is known in different names across different tribes in north-eastern india, haaz (ahom language), apong (mising language), and zou (zu mai) (bodo language). the apo is not distributed in shops, as apo forms part of a tradition and culture, the apo is shared through generations like a piece of cultural knowledge. apos are commonly brewed in households and often served along with rice and chutney as well, irrespective of gender or age differences. across the tribal communities in the world's similar alcohol drinks are being produced as a part of cultural tradition. such as saké, in japan, huangjiu, and mijiu from china.

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Asumbi

Cornmeal-thickened stew with meat, wild greens, bamboo shoot, chili peppers

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Bamboo shoots

Bamboo shoots or bamboo sprouts are the edible shoots (new bamboo culms that come out of the ground) of many bamboo species including bambusa vulgaris and phyllostachys edulis. they are used as vegetables in numerous asian dishes and broths. they are sold in various processed shapes, and are available in fresh, dried, and canned versions. raw bamboo shoots contain cyanogenic glycosides, natural toxins also contained in cassava. the toxins must be destroyed by thorough cooking and for this reason fresh bamboo shoots are boiled before being used in other ways. the toxins are also destroyed in the canning process.

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Bamboo shoot soup

Dessert, Sweet

Bresi

Cooked rice with butter, raisins and sugar

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Chhurpi

Chhurpi (nepali: छुर्पी, tibetan: ཆུར་བ།, thl: churwa) or durkha is a traditional cheese consumed in the himalayan regions of nepal, sikkim, darjeeling, and tibet. the two varieties of chhurpi are a soft variety (consumed usually as a side dish with rice) and a hard variety (chewed like betel).

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Chicken

The chicken (gallus domesticus) is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the ceylon junglefowl that are originally from southeastern asia. rooster or cock is a term for an adult male bird, and a younger male may be called a cockerel. a male that has been castrated is a capon. an adult female bird is called a hen and a sexually immature female is called a pullet. originally raised for cockfighting or for special ceremonies, chickens were not kept for food until the hellenistic period (4th–2nd centuries bc). humans now keep chickens primarily as a source of food (consuming both their meat and eggs) and as pets. chickens are one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, with a total population of 23.7 billion as of 2018, up from more than 19 billion in 2011. there are more chickens in the world than any other bird. there are numerous cultural references to chickens – in myth, folklore and religion, and in language and literature. genetic studies have pointed to multiple maternal origins in south asia, southeast asia, and east asia, but the clade found in the americas, europe, the middle east and africa originated from the indian subcontinent. from ancient india, the chicken spread to lydia in western asia minor, and to greece by the 5th century bc. fowl have been known in egypt since the mid-15th century bc, with the "bird that gives birth every day" having come from the land between syria and shinar, babylonia, according to the annals of thutmose iii.

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Chura sabji

Fermented yak or cow cheese (chhurpi) stew

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Crispy pork

Pork pieces coated with a spiced batter, then fried

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Curry leaf chutney

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Dung po

Steamed rice, rice is wrapped in leaves and steamed

Breakfast

Dung po

Steamed rice, rice is wrapped in leaves and steamed

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Eggs

Eggs are laid by female animals of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, a few mammals, and fish, and many of these have been eaten by humans for thousands of years. bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen (egg white), and vitellus (egg yolk), contained within various thin membranes. the most commonly consumed eggs are chicken eggs. other poultry eggs including those of duck and quail also are eaten. fish eggs are called roe and caviar. egg yolks and whole eggs store significant amounts of protein and choline, and are widely used in cookery. due to their protein content, the united states department of agriculture formerly categorized eggs as meats within the food guide pyramid (now myplate). despite the nutritional value of eggs, there are some potential health issues arising from cholesterol content, salmonella contamination, and allergy to egg proteins. chickens and other egg-laying creatures are kept widely throughout the world and mass production of chicken eggs is a global industry. in 2009, an estimated 62.1 million metric tons of eggs were produced worldwide from a total laying flock of approximately 6.4 billion hens. there are issues of regional variation in demand and expectation, as well as current debates concerning methods of mass production. in 2012, the european union banned battery husbandry of chickens.

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Eku

A paste made from epa, bamboo sprout powder, and water, added to, for example, boiled fish

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Ekung

Fermented bamboo shoots, cooked with crushed chili peppers

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Epa

Bamboo sprout powder, used as a spice for dishes

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Eup

Fermented and dried bamboo shoots

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Fish

Boiled

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Gandipuk beetle

Eaten raw, toasted, in chutney. warning, these beetles can be psychotropic

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Gyapa khazi

Mixed rice dish with fermented cheese, chilies, dried fish, ginger

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Khamti sticky rice

Tai khamtis is a tribe in the arunachal pradesh region

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Khao hai

Steamed rice wrapped in tong or ekkam (tong) leaves

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Khapse

Khapse (nepali: खाप्से) or amjok is a tibetan/sherpa biscuit that is traditionally prepared during the tibetan/sherpa new year or losar. the dough for the khapse is usually made with flour, eggs, butter and sugar and is then shaped into different shapes and sizes.

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Kharzi rice

Rice cooked with tomatoes, ginger, chilies

Breakfast

Khura

Buckwheat flour pancake

Dessert, Sweet

Koat pitha

Rice flour and banana fritters, serve with tea

Main

Kopi

Boiled wild eggplant

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Lukter

Smoke-dried meat flavored with powdered chili peppers, prepared with chicken, pork or mithun (bovine, beef), typically eaten with rice

Drink

Marua

Millet alcohol

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Mithun

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Momo

Momo are bite-size dumplings made with a spoonful of stuffing wrapped in dough. momo are usually steamed, though they are sometimes fried or steam-fried. meat or vegetables fillings becomes succulent as it produces an intensively flavored broth sealed inside the wrappers. variants of the dish developed later in nepal after it became popular among asians. eating dumplings on the first day of the new year was a widely spread custom in northern china. written records show that dumplings became popular during the southern and northern dynasties (420–589 ad)., the earliest unearthed real dumplings were found in astana cemetery dated between 499 ad and 640 ad.

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Mutton

Lamb, hogget, and mutton, generically sheep meat, are the meat of domestic sheep, ovis aries. a sheep in its first year is a lamb and its meat is also lamb. the meat from sheep in their second year is hogget. older sheep meat is mutton. generally, "hogget" and "sheep meat" are not used by consumers outside norway, new zealand, south africa and australia. hogget has become more common in england, particularly in the north (lancashire and yorkshire) often in association with rare breed and organic farming. in south asian and caribbean cuisine, "mutton" often means goat meat. at various times and places, "mutton" or "goat mutton" has occasionally been used to mean goat meat.lamb is the most expensive of the three types and in recent decades sheep meat is increasingly only retailed as "lamb", sometimes stretching the accepted distinctions given above. the stronger-tasting mutton is now hard to find in many areas, despite the efforts of the mutton renaissance campaign in the uk. in australia, the term prime lamb is often used to refer to lambs raised for meat. other languages, for example french, spanish, italian and arabic, make similar or even more detailed distinctions among sheep meats by age and sometimes by sex and diet—for example, lechazo in spanish refers to meat from milk-fed (unweaned) lambs.

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Ngatak

Fish pieces are marinated with spices and herbs, wrapped in leaves, then cooked on a hot stone

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Noodle soup

Noodle soup with vegetables, chilies, fermented cheese

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Noo phan

Boiled bamboo shoots with ginger leaves

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Nou kai noo som

Chicken and fermented bamboo shoots

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Nou moo phan

Pork and herbs wrapped and steamed in tong/ekkam leaves

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Nou moo shen

Fried pork and bamboo shoots

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Oik

Leafy greens boiled with spices, may also be cooked with meat, pork, bamboo shoots

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Oying

Vegetable stew

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Paa nung

Fish and herbs wrapped and steamed in tong/ekkam leaves

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Panch phoran torkari

Five-spice chicken, can also be vegetarian with brinjal (eggplant), potatoes, pumpkin

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Pao

Bread roll, introduced by the portuguese

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Pasa

Raw minced fish soup

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Pehak

Fermented soy bean and chilies chutney, eaten with rice

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Phak kho

Seasonal greens

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Pika pila

Bamboo shoot and pork fat pickle

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Pi koi tome

Banana flower curry made with taro (arbi/arvi/colocasia)

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Pithagurir tenga

Sour stir fried fish dish with spices, garlic, thickened with rice flour

Drink

Po cha

Butter tea, use dri (female yak) butter

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Pork

Stewed with oik/oyik, fried, grilled, roasted

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Pork stewed with oik

Pork stewed with oyik, bamboo shoots

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Puhee

Spicy blood sausages, cooked in bamboo

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Raro

Vegetable dish from the galo tribes

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Rice

Rice is the seed of the grass species oryza sativa (asian rice) or less commonly oryza glaberrima (african rice). the name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera zizania and porteresia, both wild and domesticated, although the term may also be used for primitive or uncultivated varieties of oryza. as a cereal grain, domesticated rice is the most widely consumed staple food for over half of the world's human population, especially in asia and africa. it is the agricultural commodity with the third-highest worldwide production, after sugarcane and maize. since sizable portions of sugarcane and maize crops are used for purposes other than human consumption, rice is the most important food crop with regard to human nutrition and caloric intake, providing more than one-fifth of the calories consumed worldwide by humans. there are many varieties of rice and culinary preferences tend to vary regionally. the traditional method for cultivating rice is flooding the fields while, or after, setting the young seedlings. this simple method requires sound irrigation planning but reduces the growth of less robust weed and pest plants that have no submerged growth state, and deters vermin. while flooding is not mandatory for the cultivation of rice, all other methods of irrigation require higher effort in weed and pest control during growth periods and a different approach for fertilizing the soil. rice, a monocot, is normally grown as an annual plant, although in tropical areas it can survive as a perennial and can produce a ratoon crop for up to 30 years. rice cultivation is well-suited to countries and regions with low labor costs and high rainfall, as it is labor-intensive to cultivate and requires ample water. however, rice can be grown practically anywhere, even on a steep hill or mountain area with the use of water-controlling terrace systems. although its parent species are native to asia and certain parts of africa, centuries of trade and exportation have made it commonplace in many cultures worldwide. production and consumption of rice is estimated to have been responsible for 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2010.

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Roasted meats

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Rongpu takeng

Egg chutney

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Sinkhyo

Boiled, skewered and grilled mithun (bovine) meat

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Siteka pickle

Pickled eggplant in mustard oil

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Smoked meats

Smoked meat is the result of a method of preparing red meat, white meat, and seafood which originated in the paleolithic era. smoking adds flavor, improves the appearance of meat through the maillard reaction, and when combined with curing it preserves the meat. when meat is cured then cold-smoked, the smoke adds phenols and other chemicals that have an antimicrobial effect on the meat. hot smoking has less impact on preservation and is primarily used for taste and to slow-cook the meat. interest in barbecue and smoking is on the rise worldwide.

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Sungat diya maas

Fish cooked in bamboo

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Tashee

Tree extract, milk and sugar

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Thenthuk

Thenthuk (tibetan: འཐེན་ཐུག་, wylie: then thug) or hand-pulled noodle soup (thukpa), is a very common noodle soup in tibetan cuisine, especially in amdo, tibet where it is served as dinner and sometimes lunch. the main ingredients are wheat flour dough, mixed vegetables and some pieces of mutton or yak meat. vegetable thenthuk is a common modern day option too.

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Thukpa

Thukpa (tibetan: ཐུག་པ ; nepali: थुक्पा; ipa: /tʰu(k̚)ˀ˥˥.pə˥˥/ ) is a tibetan noodle soup, which originated in the eastern part of tibet. amdo thukpa (especially thenthuk) is a famous variant amongst the indians (especially ladakhis and sikkimis), tibetans and nepalese. there are numerous varieties of thukpa which includes: thenthuk (tibetan: འཐེན་ཐུག་, wylie: 'then thug): hand-pulled noodle gyathuk (tibetan: རྒྱ་ཐུག་, wylie: rgya thug): chinese noodle thuppa (nepali: थुप्पा) thugpa (tibetan: བག་ཐུག་, wylie: bag thug): hand-rolled pinched noodle (like gnocchi) drethug (tibetan: འབྲས་ཐུག་, wylie: 'bras thug)

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Tsampa

Tsampa or tsamba (tibetan: རྩམ་པ་, wylie: rtsam pa; nepali: साम्पा; chinese: 糌粑; pinyin: zānbā) is a tibetan and himalayan staple foodstuff, particularly prominent in the central part of the region. it is glutinous meal made from roasted flour, usually barley flour and sometimes also wheat flour. it is usually mixed with the salty tibetan butter tea. it is also eaten in turkestan and mongolia, where it is known as zamba.