Zutho, singju: Delhiites try Northeastern culinary treasures at NEF 2024

From Meghalaya's black sesame chicken with jadoh rice to Assamese bamboo shoot chicken rice, thousands of visitors at this year's North East Festival, held at Major Dhyan Chand Stadium. The festival, which concluded on Nov 17, had visitors flocking to the food zone with a diverse range of culinary treasures from the region.

The festival’s culinary offerings promised a feast of authentic Northeasten flavours. With around 60 food stalls, visitors can enjoyed specialties like Assam tea and Nagaland coffee, alongside a variety of other regional delicacies. This food segment has become a staple of the festival, offering a unique culinary journey and nurturing cross-cultural connections. Over the years, the North East Festival’s food show has inspired numerous new restaurants in Delhi, creating a bridge through shared flavours and gastronomic traditions.

Sneha Lata Saikia, a Delhi-based chef and expert in Assamese cuisine, who visited the festival, loved the variety of food that was served at this edition of NEF. "This time, there were many stalls offering food even for the vegetarians. I had the Assamese duck curry-rice, and it was really good. A stall named Gharsa had good traditional pickles and rice tea."
Zutho, Nagaland's Angami tribe's sticky rice and millet brew, served in a wooden mug, is a delicacy. Apart from the rice brew, naturally processed fruit wines were available too

A visitor who moved to Delhi from Shillong 15 years back enjoys a Meghalayan thali, by Oh Shillong with black sesame chicken, jado stem yellow rice, doh syiar khleh salad and more. He remarked, "The festival brings the vibe of home to Delhi. I am here for the food. " The stall also served Garo snacks like pukhlein.

Served by a Nepalese cloud kitchen Mila's Mama, the thali had sel roti, aloo dum, chicken curry, Gorkha achar (made of white peas and sesame), raddish pickle and bitter gourd fritters. Tsering, who runs the kitchen, says, "There is a good demand for Nepali food in Delhi and we are glad people are opting to eat at our stall." The stall served momos and laphing too.

Ghee-laden vegetarian momos and juicy chicken and pork momos, served by a GK-1 resto Nimtho, was a hotseller. Apart from momos and refreshing drinks, the food stall served regional delicacy like pork sekuwa

A crunchy variation of singju, made with cabbage and wai wai, was available at Manipuri food stalls. A visitor savouring singju called it the bhelpuri of Manipur

Shyamkanu Mahanta, organiser-in-chief of North East Festival, shared the event’s enduring vision, “The North East Festival has grown far beyond its original concept. What began as a cultural showcase has evolved into a platform for unity, mutual appreciation, and shared experiences and a tourism festival. It has become Delhi’s major tourism festival. This festival is about more than a visual spectacle; it’s a celebration of heritage, talent, and the innovative spirit that defines the Northeast.”
Apart from the food at the North East Festival, visitors loved folk art performers and artists like Zubeen Garg. The handloom and traditional jewellery stalls attracted the crowds too.