More than meat, why northeast deserves recognition for its rich vegetarian traditions

For too long, the culinary map of India has overlooked a vibrant, nuanced reality of the northeast, branding it unfairly as a meat-dominated, exotic outlier. Phrases like “They eat anything that moves” or “Oh, it’s all pork and fermented fish there” are casually thrown around, revealing both ignorance and cultural bias.

But talk to anyone who has walked through a bazaar in Imphal, Shillong, or Aizawl, and you’ll discover something very different a riot of greens, shoots, herbs, and wild vegetables that form the heart of everyday meals.

The myth of a meat-only North East is just that—a MYTH.

Santa Sarmah, MasterChef India 2023’s first runner-up, has been vocal about this stereotype. “There’s this misconception that everyone here only eats meat,” she told India Today NE. “In truth, around 30 per cent of the population is vegetarian, and that number is steadily growing, especially among the youth embracing health-conscious diets.”

Even in non-vegetarian households, meals are rarely just about meat. They are about balance—meat stewed with herbs, fish paired with seasonal greens, or pork served alongside boiled jungle vegetables. It’s not just about protein, but nourishment in its truest sense.

North Eastern cuisine is built on the idea of freshness, low oil, and minimal spice. A single plate might bring together bitter, sour, spicy, and sweet—a symphony of taste held together by local ingredients that grow abundantly across forests and hillsides.

If biodiversity is the measure of a rich vegetarian tradition, then the North East is second to none.

In Manipur, researchers documented 68 types of wild edible plants—mostly leafy herbs and shrubs—consumed regularly. Mizoram boasts over 70 varieties of traditional greens, while Meghalaya’s villages cultivate an astonishing 200+ food plants, including 52 vegetable types and 31 leafy greens.

From the curly fiddlehead ferns known as dhekia xaak in Assam to yongchak (tree beans) in Manipur and bekang (fermented soy) in Mizoram, every region has its own plant-based treasures. These ingredients aren’t supermarket staples—they are deeply seasonal, locally foraged, and culturally precious.

More importantly, they’re delicious.

North East India’s cuisine is deeply intertwined with nature. This is not just farm-to-table, it’s forest-to-family, root-to-shoot, and waste-nothing cooking.

Take the banana plant, for instance. The fruit is consumed as usual, but in the North East, its flower is cooked into delicacies, the tender stem is stir-fried, and the broad leaves are used as plates. Not a single part is wasted.

Such zero-waste habits aren’t new trends here—they’re ancestral wisdom. And they represent a deep respect for nature, something much of the modern world is still trying to learn.

Beyond nourishment, these greens are medicine. Traditional food and healing practices here are inseparable. Dishes like chingit chamthong (herbal soup from Manipur), paleng xaak (spinach-based dishes), and peruk (herb chutney) are not just flavorful—they are iron-rich, calcium-dense, and antioxidant-loaded.

A nutritionist from Assam, Dr Manisha Gautam explained, “We eat pumpkin leaves, ash gourd vines, and dozens of wild herbs on a regular basis. Since we boil or lightly sauté them, their vitamins and minerals remain intact. That’s why many people here enjoy better hair, clearer skin, and stronger immunity.”

In short, this isn't just a cuisine—it’s a lifestyle rooted in wellness.

Visit Imphal’s Ima Keithel, the iconic all-women market, and you’ll find bundles of herbs, leafy greens, bamboo shoots, and jungle vegetables—items that rarely make it to urban grocery shelves. In Shillong, Kohima, and Aizawl, street vendors proudly sell everything from roselle leaves to pumpkin blossoms and tree tomatoes, foraged or home-grown.

These aren’t Instagram trends. They’re living traditions that nourish families and protect local ecosystems.

Renowned Assamese chef Atul Lahkar put it best, “Every meal here has greens at its core. From mustard greens to wild herbs like mejenga, suka, and lofa—each has its unique taste and purpose. Cooking here is about steaming, grilling, and light seasoning, never overpowering the original flavor. It’s a cuisine vegetarians would love, but even meat eaters appreciate how much greens are a part of every bite.”

He adds that many Indians outside the region are unaware of this bounty simply because these herbs don’t grow in their ecosystems.

“In Delhi or Mumbai, people don’t know our herbs, so they don’t know our food. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have a deeply rooted plant-based tradition.”

So, where did the stereotype come from?

Blame it partly on pop culture, mainstream media, and textbook narratives that have either exoticized or ignored the North East. When shown at all, it’s often the more unusual elements—fermented fish, smoked meats, or insects—that are highlighted without context.

Meanwhile, the quieter, greener staples that dominate daily meals go unmentioned.

Worse still, this ignorance often turns into prejudice. People from the region often face ridicule or suspicion in metro cities over their food habits. “Oh, you eat dogs?” is a cruel joke that has persisted far too long.

It’s time we shatter that lens.

A call for culinary inclusion

The irony? While urban India is racing toward "organic," "farm-to-table," and "superfoods," the North East has been living that life all along.

Eating leaves, herbs, flowers, and roots is not a wellness trend here—it’s a way of life. It’s sustainable, healthy, low-waste, and deeply connected to nature’s rhythms.

So the next time we talk about vegetarian India, let’s look East—not with exoticism, but with respect.

Because in every forest-foraged green, in every herbal chutney, in every banana-leaf meal lies a story—not of meat obsession, but of balance, biodiversity, and ancestral wisdom.