The "Seven Sisters" of India—the seven states in the far
northeast corner between Bhutan, Bangladesh and Burma—don't get as much
tourism as like the rest of the country. They're not like the rest of India—and generally, they don't want to be. Through the decades, all seven states—Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura—have suffered
insurgencies and struggled for independence. They form a kind of cultural fault
line here, a little strip of land where China, India and Southeast Asia merge.
And not always nicely.
Still, the area is fascinating for food lovers. As soon as I crossed into Assam by train, I began seeing the faces of Southeast Asians. And I began tasting their
dishes—tangy fish curries with bamboo, boiled and pureed vegetables, chutneys
with dried fish. Northeastern cuisine features steamed rice, fermented soybeans
and anchovies, plenty of fresh herbs, but not so many dried spices. Sound like India? Or more like Southeast Asia?
This region is foreign culinary territory for Indians, too. "The rest of India knows very little about the people and cuisine of Northeast India," Hoihnu Hauzel writes
in The Essential North-East Cookbook. "Just like their
topographical beauty, the gastronomic fare of the seven sister states remains
by and large hidden from the rest of the country."
If you can handle rough travel through uncertain times, it's well worth the trip.
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