Local Tribal Cuisine of A&N Islands

The Jarwa Tribe Food Culture

The Jarwa tribe is a hunter-gatherer group of people who live in the Andaman Islands in India. Their food is central to their way of life and is deeply drawn from what the forest provides. Most of their meals are composed of meat and fish they hunt from the forest or the sea. Animals they hunt include wild boars, deer, and turtles, with both hunting and fishing conducted using spears, bows, and arrows. They hunt during the day and, at times, go hunting in groups. The wide variety of animals in the forest prompts the Jarwa people to divide responsibilities, with each group targeting different prey.

After hunting, they cook the food by placing the meat or fish in palms and cooking them over an open fire. During the cooking period, some meat falls off the palm and gets burnt, which they also eat. Apart from the meat, they gather fruits, roots, honey, and tubers from the forest. The gathering of fruits and tubers involves the cooperation of everyone in the village.

The Jarwa people have a unique way of sharing food, believing that food is meant to be consumed by everyone. They share their meals with others, including visitors. The distribution of the food is done by those who find it, reflecting their communitarian lifestyle.

Pork cooked in bamboo shoots is one of the traditional dishes. The meat is marinated with salt and turmeric, then wrapped in bamboo shoots and heated over an open fire. Fish curry, another favorite delicacy, is made by boiling fish with coconut milk, onions, and spices. They also chew areca nuts with betel leaves, a common practice in other parts of India, which helps reduce fatigue and improve digestion. Since the Jarwa do not cultivate crops, they do not eat grains or cereals. They trade with other island communities, such as the Ongi and the Andamanese, for rice.

The Great Andamanese Tribe Food Culture

The Great Andamanese is an ancient native race that occupied the Andaman Islands in the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India. The tribe enjoyed a rich food culture reliant on the environment, with considerable use of available resources. They were primarily hunters and gatherers, using bows, arrows, spears, and blowpipes for hunting wild boar, deer, and various fowl, and fishing nets, harpoons, and fish traps for seafood. They gathered wild fruits, nuts, and roots from the forest, including wild mangoes, bananas, and jackfruits. Honey was gathered from wild bees and used as a sweetener.

One traditional dish of the Great Andamanese tribe is Gurda, made by cooking pig’s liver and intestines in bamboo shoots. The meat is marinated with salt and turmeric, then wrapped in bamboo shoots and cooked over an open fire. Jangli aloo is made from wild potatoes boiled with coconut milk and spices. They consumed a wide variety of seafood, including fish, crabs, lobsters, and clams, which were usually boiled, grilled, or smoked. Karanikayat is a soup made by boiling fish with vegetables, spices, and a small amount of salt.

The Great Andamanese also chew areca nuts with betel leaves, tobacco, and slaked lime, a practice common in many parts of India that reduces tiredness and aids digestion. They had a method of fermenting fish by wrapping it in banana leaves and burying it in the ground for a few days. The fermented fish was then cooked over a fire. Sago bacteria was another traditional food, made by extracting pulp from the Sago tree's trunk, washing, and beating it into a paste, which was then cooked over an open fire to produce a bread-like product.

The tribe preserved their food by smoking meat and fish over an open fire, which could last for several months. The dried meat and fish were eaten during difficult hunting times. The Great Andamanese tribe faced many challenges, including loss of land, disease, and forced assimilation into mainstream society. Today, only a few members of the tribe remain, and their traditional food culture is in danger of being lost.

The Onge Tribe Food Culture

The Onge tribe, another indigenous community living on Little Andaman Island in India, has a unique food culture linked to their environment. They primarily engage in hunting, fishing, and gathering. They use bows, arrows, spears, and traps to hunt wild pigs, deer, partridges, and various birds. They fish using nets, harpoons, and fish traps to catch fish, crabs, and marine shellfish from the sea and rivers. They gather a wide range of fruits, nuts, and roots from the forest, including wild mangoes, jackfruits, and bananas. Honey is also gathered from wild bees and used as a sweetener.

Traditional dishes include Turtle curry, made by mixing turtle meat with coconut milk and various spices, and Fish curry, made by cooking fish with coconut milk. The Onge also chew areca nuts with betel leaves, tobacco, and slaked lime, a practice that reduces fatigue and aids digestion. They preserve food by smoking meat and fish over a fire, allowing the dried meat to be stored for several months.

One unique dish is Jarawa, fermented fish wrapped in banana leaves and buried in the mud for several weeks. The fermented fish, though smelly, is a significant part of their diet. The Onge also cook rice in bamboo shoots, which gives it a unique flavor. They typically eat rice with fish curry, turtle curry, or meat. They also hold feasts during festivals, featuring various items like fish, meat, and vegetables. The Onge tribe's food habits have been severely impacted by colonization and industrialization, and their traditional food culture is at risk of disappearing.

The Nicobarese Tribe Food Culture

The Nicobarese tribe, native to the Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal, India, has a food culture influenced by their natural environment, rich in marine life and tropical vegetation. They primarily consume seafood, including reef fish, tuna, and barracuda, caught using fishing nets, harpoons, and bamboo traps. They also collect various shellfish, such as clams and shellfish. Seafood is prepared by grilling, smoking, or cooking in coconut milk with spices.

One traditional dish is Machuka, where fish is grilled or smoked over an open flame and served with a sauce made from the flesh mixed with coconut and spices. Another dish is Sambal, made with boiled or steamed fish mixed with coconut, chilies, and other spices. They also ferment fish, wrapping fresh fish in banana leaves and burying it to ferment. The resultant food, though smelly, is part of their meal.

Coconut is extensively used, with coconut milk used in cooking, coconut oil for frying, and coconut fibers for making ropes and household items. The tribe uses various herbs and spices, such as turmeric, ginger, garlic, chilies, lemongrass, basil, and curry leaves, to flavor their food. Besides seafood, they consume fruits like mangoes, bananas, and pineapples, and vegetables like eggplant, okra, and pumpkin. Rice is a staple food, cooked with coconut milk and spices to enhance its flavor.

The Nicobarese also make alcoholic drinks, such as palm wine from fermented coconut sap and Chuak from fermented rice and coconut water. Their food culture reflects their reliance on the rich resources of their environment.

The Shompen Tribe Food Culture

The Shompen tribe, a primitive community living on Great Nicobar Island in the Bay of Bengal, India, has a traditional food culture based on hunting, fishing, and gathering. They hunt wild boars, deer, and birds, and collect fruits, nuts, and berries from the forest. They fish in the sea, catching shellfish like crabs and lobsters.

One traditional dish is Kakar, made from wild boar meat cooked in a coconut milk-based sauce with turmeric and red chili powder. Another dish is Sobu, similar to Kakar but made with fish or shellfish. They also ferment food, with Apong being a fermented dish made from fish, pork, and vegetables in earthen pots. Cooking in bamboo is another method, where food is stuffed into bamboo, sealed with banana leaves, and cooked over a fire, imparting a smoky flavor.

Coconut is an important ingredient, used for its meat, milk, and oil in various dishes. Herbs and spices, such as cumin, coriander, turmeric, curry leaves, and lemongrass, are used to add flavor. Rice is a staple food, cooked with coconut milk and spices, and eaten with meat and fish.

In addition to this, the Shompen tribe also has a history of making and consuming different types of alcoholic beverages. One such beverage is a rice wine known as “Loh.” It is made by fermenting rice in large earthenware pots. “Loh” is consumed by the tribe during celebrations and festivals. The food history of the Shompen tribe is an integral part of their culture. Being a forest and sea community, the tribe has largely depended on these resources for their food. However, like many other endangered communities, Shompen’s food was highly threatened by modernization and globalization . The community has undergone numerous challenges, including land loss, diseases, and forced integration into the mainstream communities. In the recent past, conservationists and NGOs have increased their conservation efforts not only to preserve the tribe’s culture but also to save the endangered species of the rainforest.