They Eat Everything!! The India You’ve Never Seen Before!!

good morning good morning I'm so excited to speak to you because you have one of the most unique Foods I've ever seen in my life there's this white bubbly outer layer she peels the cap off and then she reaches inside oh oh my God this is a very dangerous food when it comes to food India is one of the most wide-ranging countries in the world all in the north you'll find Classics like tandoori chicken in the South you'll discover crispy mouth-watering dosas that's the best Dosa I've ever had but Indian food can also include this oh my God though you won't find it represented in any International Indian restaurants food like rat soup curry made from guinea pigs or even wasp larvae can be found in India this is the creepiest thing I've ever seen But even though foods like this do exist here most Mainland Indians would be shocked to see that ore would shun them all together people from North India are they curious about the bug eating skeptical about it so people are a bit apprehensive um what are they coming here to see [Music] [Applause] foreign what do you do when you go out and hunt and get way too many squirrels and rats well you do this you mummify them this section of the country Right Here is known as the northeastern region the area makes up eight percent of India and it's comprised of eight states the treasures of your hunt your Bounty what have you gotten that's right here you'll discover societies that are completely different from the rest of Mainland India delicious I don't want people and tribes with different looks cultures religions and more than anything people with vastly different food we can start with tapioca okay yes it's little overcooked it's supposed to be overcooked yes yes okay why don't they just call it cooked though like Countryside folks in Assam who eat pork and mutton people are crazy about pork in Assam right now they said why they haven't tried it before but also supplement their diet with a variety of bug species from woodworms they're very tasty to silkworm Pupa at this point they don't even have eyeballs anymore like what even is this can you eat it like this yes really in assam's capital you'll find delicious Savory curries made hearty with a smattering of pigeon meat the peppery pigeon curries is a good medicine for flu and cold but you'll feel better I think after this okay I think you need to have some pigeon careers yeah in the state of nagaland there are no limits on what's okay to eat so anything goes yes dog meat yes cat yes of course available protein options here include cat dog rat or these guys guinea pigs sold fresh at the local market when is the last time you prepared guinea pigs since yesterday oh boy this is fantastic I feel like I'm in a different world right now and I'm really enjoying it then there's India's most controversial food beef banned or regulated in 20 out of 28 States but here in the mountains of kohima we've come upon a once in a lifetime celebration a feast expected to feed up to 5 000 people attending the event here on this mountain Far Far From Any Other Village or city a celebration where dozens of cows will be slaughtered the slaughtering method here shooting the animal with a rifle [Music] India is a wildly diverse country with strong opinions over whose way of life is the correct way of life I like oh you have this kind of thing you eat this kind of things like how do you survive naturally this leads to disagreements if it was up to you would nagaland be completely independent it must happen and people in some parts of this country don't feel accepted by the mainstream if we go to Mainland India sometimes they discriminate us as Chinese as Japanese or whatever they themselves did not claim us as one of them we feel disgrace so we don't feel we are in them in this series I'm on a mission to learn more about a region of India few know or understand because if this land is India then this and this and this are all Indian food [Music] it all starts here at Assam bustling Capital we're starting our day at ujon Fish Market this place is packed and busy and here we have a lot of unique fish like this look at the nose on this thing it's got a bigger snout than me oh I got fish on my jacket this morning we're gonna take a look around the market and see what kind of unique Seafood we can find then we're gonna eat it let's go for vendors here money they ready their stalls before the sun rises with enough luck they sell out before mid-morning [Music] [Applause] we're looking for the biggest fish we can find in the market starting with a giant tea tall right here my man caught about he is chopping the heck out of this thing scaling it with this round awesome knife our first purchase is a chitol they're known as some of the best freshwater fish in this region renowned for their sweet juicy meat few vendors down I spot another giant treasure that wouldn't get a Second Glance where I come from in the USA the hill Korea fish as it's known locally you might know it as the common carp this is my man satising right here we both have great hair I want to point that out you have good hair but so do I did you know they got this big it's like a shark I was very surprised by the price of this fish I thought maybe I don't know 60 50 bucks 163 dollars but it's worth it because inside you know what it has big juicy intestines we're gonna rip them out we're gonna eat them real soon from here after we collect all our fish Parts we're heading to the fish Hotel it seems like a place fish would sleep or seafood would have one night stands it's uh it's not that at all our fresh seafood finds will be cooked here this is trishul Hotel due to a linguistic misunderstanding during the British occupation of India hotel here can also mean restaurant and in this restaurant our two giant fish will be transformed into two asami's dishes today we're eating with our hands right we have to eat with our hands because people in Assam love to eat with the hands joining me today shamalima a local food Enthusiast who shares her foodie finds on social media but not always to Fanfare we'll find out why soon first deep fried fish fillets from both fish are marinated with salt and turmeric If You're Expecting The Usual Indian Masala onslaught of 20 powerful spices well don't [Music] this hotel this is all they use and this minimalist seemingly unindian approach is a defining trait of awesomese cooking [Music] that could contend with the KFC skin crunch it is extremely crunchy a lot of texture it's light and it's settled on flavors you want to have some chilies with the fried fish um is that what you're doing no if you want yeah I will if you do yeah I would I would love to it's a little bit it's a little bit spicy I'm a sore throat too that was a bad idea um what I love about this is the fish is really fatty it's Rich there's no muddiness whatsoever it tastes heavy and oily but it tastes delicious what separates Assam from the rest of the country India is a Hindu majority country most of the population here is vegetarian and non-vegeters strictly avoid Beef Pork and insects but that's what makes a salmon other Northeastern states contrast to the rest of the Mainland a farm has a really diverse culture it has the most number of tribes here than any other state in India not only is a Psalm influenced by its own diverse population but it also draws inspiration from neighboring Asian countries like Thailand and China consequently a Psalm in its cuisine are vastly different from India's internationally known signature dishes like our next dish which intestine fried rice whoa first the flavor base fried dried chilies onion garlic turmeric and salt [Music] now simply toss in the carp intestines mix well and let them soak in all that flavor [Music] finally add rice Vision design is one of the most loved Deli Casino this one is an intestine what the where does it end where does it begin it's looking in the eyes all right here we go [Music] I need some water me too it has some real personality it's got a lot of flavor literally inside it is like a Play-Doh of mushy intestinal belongings I can't believe that this is also an intestine I have to take one bite of this well this one's big and chewy it's almost like squid I like the texture it's just about what's inside that that bothers me usually it's what's on the inside that counts uh here not the case tell me a little bit more about you I've been in guwahati for like 15 years I do content creation full time I'm focusing mostly in Northeast food I want to show it to the world that's what I love to do I find India to be a very nationalistic country people are very proud the content you make about food here how is it received by people in other parts of India are they open-minded about it people are judgmental because in Northeast India people love to have pork is that something you're trying to fight back against yes yes but I have to work on it a little bit more right this is a great breakfast we have a lot more to see let's get to it after checking out of the fish Hotel we're checking in here who'd whipped up fast where they're serving up the perfect union between classic Chinese and Indian food I'm very curious about your restaurant because I've been to India many times before but I've never had chow mein in Chinese Chow Mein literally means fried noodles its endless variations are beloved worldwide here in a song Oh Mr Borah made his chow mein shop into a neighborhood staple people come from Oliver only to try the Charming at his face he started this place in 1987. September Saturday yeah in September 4th at first he started as a cut and then from Cut he grew to this restaurant today oh fantastic that's a real success story I love it for you what is the secret to good chow mein first stir-fry capsicum and onion then give the oil some time to extract those flavors it's all about veggies like you put fresh veggies in the chow mein next Mountain sliced cabbage and carrot finally it's time for the noodles to join hit this massive food Heap with a little bit of flavor in the form of salt black pepper and soy sauce foreign 's best Charming is complete technically you could eat it like this or you could get it wrapped up fry an egg and a roti together on the tawa until they bind into one flavorful entity add in a mixture of cabbage carrot onion and capsicum they are on noodles then cube chicken I've had chow mein and I've had Roti but having them together is simply genius just the outside already looks so delicious the Roti with the egg wrapped in there's little crispy bits around it oh man super greasy super fluffy egg you get some crispiness or the veggies I love it the chicken in there is delicious it tastes like soy sauce it tastes like MSG put some red on there this looks like neon ketchup it is so bright almost like a sweet and sour sauce which is a great contrast to this very heavy oily Savory food I'm looking at the menu now it looks like this costs about one to two dollars and it's a lot of high quality ingredients here the chicken there's eggs I think I saw some caviar right now we're headed for one of India's most confusing Quake bites it's called Pita these long looking white cigars that's pizza but also this brown one is pizza so what does pizza mean it could be sweet but it could also be Savory it can look like a pancake a Fritter or a dumpling so it can take any form it can take any form it can be round yeah it could be a cube no no not cute could it be a parallelogram what here these street food vendors are serving a pita two weights our round Pizza is a deep fried blob of sweet dough made by mixing sticky rice paste and joggeti jagadi is a local type of cane sugar with a molasses like taste [Music] once the batter goes from pale white to dark delicious golden brown it's ready to eat I want to bust it open oh yeah doughy on the inside crunchy on the outside like a golden brown shell oh yeah the sugars become so crunchy huh otherwise it's like really dense in the middle I enjoy that a lot so this is more of a dessert or more of a snack it's more of a snack kind of thing we have this with tea let's jump into this our gold Pita begins with a thin spread of sticky rice powder this one is stuck what's inside of here is it Tobacco here we have weed nope Sesame and jaggery black sesame that's so cool I guess finally roll it up tight and enjoy huh so the outside is like powdery so that makes it a little bit drier as you're eating it I have one more solution to this you can just dip it in your tea give it a little bit of a dip that's a good idea oh yeah much better as soon as you put it in the team it starts to break down again Oreo cookie so you can taste the sweet Integrity inside and the black sesame too very nice within India are people traveling to Northeast India yes not as much in the past no they used to think that nut isn't part of it we eat like ants and such kind of things so it is true that used to be the only kind of stereotype now things are changing what is the cause for the change social media people are getting more views allowing people to be exposed to different ways of life over time and want to even Chuck it out for themselves yes that's fantastic today's Final stop includes a bird and a beast I'm talking about pork uncommonly found in Mainland India but seemingly ubiquitous in the Northeast here they make it into a curry 20 years ago pork was strict no for the general Assamese people but with time and with the influence of the neighboring states people are crazy about pork in Assam right now eating pork is either discouraged or prohibited by India's religious majorities to the country's mainstream culture Port may be seen as dirty or impure so how do the mainlanders react if they decide to make the journey here to a song we meet people from all around India whenever they come here we saw pork so I hardly have seen any of people who say no do you ever have people from North India come here to your restaurant and try pork for the first time yes they have they haven't tried it before [Music] Ginger green chilies salt turmeric powder black pepper and cumin seeds now the Glorious pork it's flavored with turmeric tomato onion and cumin powder the final ingredient water and coriander [Music] this is the pork curry and how could you you deny this big ass pieces of poor D's look incredible let's go for it tastes like it's been braised it's really soft tons of turmeric flavor they're spicy super Savory I'm sure pork curry is like my new favorite have it with some rice the way the Korean blends with the rice it's beautiful I love it is there a part of the pig that you like most I love the Meat part well yeah most people would say meat yeah probably not the bones in Assam are there other animal proteins that people can put into a curry some parts of villages and Assam they have toad that sounds delicious but then there's also the pigeon next up another peculiar protein of course pigeons can be spotted everywhere in India but only in the Northeast is their culinary potential truly unlocked this is assam's famous pigeon Curry the freshly dispatched pigeons are given a little bit of a dip in boiling water to ease feather extraction then any remaining hair is cinched off after cleaning and butchering they're ready for the pan a pan of hot oil receives bay leaves cinnamon and cardamom toss in onions let them fry then it's time for hacked up bits of pigeon meat flavor with garlic paste salt black pepper cumin seeds and turmeric powder adding water and cooking it down makes the meat soft and the gravy thick finish with potatoes this looks delicious it looks slightly different my only concern here is all the small bones it's very bony and less mixed bony one thing I've never been called ever yeah uh chunky I've been called chunky thick large and in charge husky plus sized voluptuous those are things I've been called but never bony [Music] the gravy is delicious it's very Savory peppery it's really a full delicious flavor the peppery pigeon craze is a good medicine for flu and cold oh is that right inside covid right now the meat is into isn't it's kind of squishy it's like a dark meat when was the last time you ate pigeon five six years ago that's a long time do you think maybe five six years from now you try it again maybe yes yeah or maybe longer give it some more time one of the big reasons I wanted to come to Northeast India is because the food variety is so different and I guess one of my missions during the series is to help redefine what is Indian Cuisine and what is seen as normal Indian Cuisine because right now I feel like that definition is too slim and it's excluding a lot of different groups and people cultures and ethnicities this today is just the beginning I plan to see a lot more all the way from here to nagaland have you ever tried a fruit bat no I haven't have a try we're gonna try fruit bat okay I'm looking forward to your nagaland episode I'll send you some fruit pad heading to the completely different way of life aside from growing crops and raising livestock some locals have developed a taste for more affordable more available protein sources this is my first time seeing them this close it's shocking bugs pests and insects a beloved local menu that would make most Indians cringe it was wagging its little tail a second ago now it's here and we're ready to try it let's go as for me well I'm here to try them all but in the meantime something familiar it's sweet that's like dessert yeah it's called Pita we already tried some in Goa hot oh yeah but it turns out Pita comes in many shapes and sizes here they start with the local glutinous rice flour and coconut water intense steaming in the pressure cooker also on the menu ladoo Badoo is my favorite Hindi word it means balls nice they can be made soft and tender using grated coconut and condensed milk or there's a harder version that uses semolina flour and grated coconut home I don't know very sweet also coconutty but more dry the light bulbs sticky rice now I'm a huge fan of sticky rice you can find it all over southeast Asia I don't think I've ever seen it before in India is sticky rice popular in awesome very popular especially in festive Seasons last of all right here we have the dog if you know Indian food then you know Dal simmered usually pureed spiced lentils or pulses here they flavor the lentils with turmeric and chilies to soak up that doll we've got pootie another Indian staple made with wheat flour I already know that puddy is gonna be so good just that delicious thin flaky fried bread with the doll um the doll is nice it's got just that beanie stew texture to it so you don't usually eat meat with breakfast huh heavy Horizon money it's too heavy for them to eat meat every day oh really yeah it's so interesting how everybody sees food differently and affects them differently for me if I ate five eggs and two sausages for breakfast I feel great for me if I eat this for breakfast it tastes good but I'll feel terrible what's interesting about this breakfast is this is the most normal thing we're going to be eating all day one of my goals in coming to Assam is to learn more about the unique diet and culture of the food here and one thing a lot of people eat in a sum is bugs yeah they do apparently apparently aren't you from a song meat Padma her extended family lives here but she lives in assam's capital of guwahati working as a travel agent many of the more exotic Countryside food she's aware of but she's never tried them for herself do people from North India are they curious about the bug eating no they're very skeptical about it even when they come to Northeast India they're like what kind of food will we get there I have to completely ensure them that yes you will get to know food here why are folks in the countryside eating bugs because you know it's very available if it was available in the cities I would have it too like every day [Music] biodiversity and its wide-ranging cuisine Assam alone is home to more than 45 different tribes and ethnic groups many using insects as a sustainable source of protein a tradition that goes back to ancient times are people collecting bugs themselves yeah when they do go fishing their main purpose is to get the fishes but they get the bugs too why not have them when they're delicious exactly then if you catch no fish at least you have some what kind of bug water some water beetles ants as well yeah red ants with their eggs what about grasshoppers we do we do this leads me to you you have an interesting side hustle across from me Omri you basically have a silkworm Farm here yeah you have silk worms they make a cocoon from the Cocoon you're developing soap and so you're selling silk what do you do with the worm let me show you does your wife ever come in here no no I'm not getting married have you thought about getting married let's see okay how does it begin first I have to buy eggs after eight or nine days it will hatch to larval stage the worms are fed a steady diet of mulberry leaves and after four weeks of feasting they become plump and juicy how long until this one wraps a cocoon seven days have you ever held a worm no oh here hold this one okay it's cute though it's very cute can you eat this as a larva no I don't know if I'm sad or relieved it turns out in some Indian States folks do cook up these silkworms while they're still in this larva State though for amrid here that would be career suicide when the worms are plump and the time is right they enter the pupa stage where they spit Spin and wrap a protective cocoon around themselves in turn creating one of the world's most coveted raw materials silk when the Cocoon is almost finished it's a pupa it's not quite a moth then what do you do that is valuable silk is an important industry in Assam as they're one of the largest exporters of silk in the world to make one dress from wormsil you may need up to 2 000 cocoons just like this one but what about the pupa sometimes if it is in large quantity then we solidly sell it down it's both used for making clothing but also it's something you can eat yeah that's fantastic have you ever eaten the pupa when I was a child so it's been some time I don't remember the taste do you have a special recipe for the pupa yeah fantastic what do you do I'll show you you'll show me if you rub soon it'll it'll like this green and net ready to eat but if you remember right time we'll have a robust still writhing squirming mahogany brown Pupa eager to be consumed these look terrifying very terrifying I've had pupil before so the first time I ever tried it I was in Korea they call it bandagi they were a lot smaller and more notably they weren't moving this is my first time seeing them this close it's shocking oh my gosh I don't know what I thought I just thought the Cocoon was like life support I thought we're taking them off oxygen when we pull them out of the Cocoon but clearly they can still live they can't become a model no can they they can so from here they would just die yeah brutal I mean at this point they don't even have eyeballs anymore like what even is this can you eat it like this yes really can we do like this yes I can let's see it [Music] nice strong composition this man here do you need water no water is for the week he doesn't look like he enjoyed it trying to look unaffected should we try it too same time okay cheers yeah okay I'll do it I'll do it I'll do it don't spit it out where is it is it in your mouth yeah did you kill it yet it's moving right it's moving okay you got you guys oh my gosh so juicy okay actually swallowing a vitamin that was really juicy gushy not gooey it's almost watery inside yeah yeah I gotta say on a hot day that might be refreshing it's like a grape but not sweet there's like a leathery shell on the outside and as soon as you get through that like a balloon it has after days I think a bit Woody yes yeah that one scared me a little bit I've had a lot of bugs but then this is a first for me it's great to try it raw but from here I think we should try the cooked version and you have one more insect to show us as well let's see cooking is underway first the Pew pea the plural Pupa are boiled as they cook these ladies stand by for the next step this is wild first of all I thought they were just gonna cook the whole silkworm Pupa evidently not so what they're doing right now is they're busting it open and they're taking out a piece that they call the waste I'm not sure why they don't want to eat it but I'm also quite sure I did just eat it a moment ago it doesn't smell like anything but evidently that has to absolutely come out next in the pan add oil onion bell pepper then the shredded pupee flavor with salt and turmeric powder then cook until you have the courage to eat a full pound of these creatures I'm curious about a couple things first of all we have the pupa here but we also have the grasshopper no we don't yeah we do we have oh you're saying no that's correct no no no yes it's wrong yeah okay before devouring our main dish how about warming up with an appetizer these guys are not farmed but found and plucked from nearby rice fields during the harvest season did you collect it yourself no no some other guys collecting from me oh you've got people to prepare you must mercilessly rip off the grasshopper's six limbs then stir fry their bodies until they become crispy frying is the best preparation for insects and makes them crispy they're not gooey you don't want to just boil it in water cheers that's yummy the head is extra crunchy salty it's not bad it's fine for me I've had this many times never in India is this something that you can find in a market no what do you think that is I'm told that you can only find it in homes in the countryside like this we don't have this in large amounts that's why really here he's raising the silkworm but not grasshoppers no have you ever thought about racing grasshoppers no no how about right now no here we have I don't know five pounds of silkworm pupa so I went into the kitchen I saw the ladies preparing this they had to rip it open to take something out what did they remove from this pupil when you boil it then it stays inside it's not bad but you have to pick it up pick it out so it's okay if you eat it raw it actually smells good it smells like cooked exactly like one minute yes let's go wow it's kind of eggy it's very good I can have this not a ton of spices it just tastes like a little bit of heat something a little bit spicy and a little bit of salt outer layers Chewy though yeah it's still kind of thick leathery chewy and then inside is mushy how often are you eating Pupa once in a week actually that is a weekly market near my house ladies from the village come there and they bring this particular thing over there but I never happen to buy it today I'm having it you live in the city now how often do you come to the Village to see your family once a year just once a year so from here I'm actually interested to meet your relative because they also have some very unique food over there and another bug creature I've never tried before in my life right and I tried a lot Farm in the town of Solona go on we take a Swift guap where padma's cousin and her extended family live through marriage podman's family is a mix of Rob Hall and Carby people today they'll sacrifice a goat to welcome Padma and in honor of our arrival with an invitation sent out to neighbors and friends in the form of wafting roasted Meats this one goat will soon become four different dishes but let's not forget the reason we came here here we have a multitude of water beetles I've never eaten a water beetle in my life when I was a kid and I grew up in the countryside we had a kiddie pool by mid-summer it was green and it was full of these things but back then I never thought to eat them right now I'm not really thinking about eating them either this is just one of over 2 000 existing water Beetle species around the world these guys in particular are found in smaller bodies of water like lakes or ponds these are basically complementary when they go fishing I love complimentary so when people are fishing they see some bugs they just met them that's wild I mean it's super efficient you're gonna get the most protein possible and if you don't catch any fish well hey you can still eat bugs these water beetles are in their final adult stage and the good news is that they're pretty much available throughout the year your fingernails match the bug quite nicely I didn't plan that yeah same palette but you personally you have not eaten this before no no I have not are you willing to do it today I am again guys this is Indian food everything we're eating today Indian food speaking of Indian food our first goat course will come in the form of a goat Curry but instead of bubbling away in a giant cauldron this Curry is cooked inside bamboo tubes it starts with pieces of goat meat seasoned and onion chili ginger garlic salt cinnamon cardamom and Curry leaves stuff this blend in a bamboo Tube before cooking it over a direct Flame the bamboo is Loosely sealed with leaves then roasted until the meat cooked through everybody looks stunning is this a special occasion you're coming to here is special occasion there in the traditional attire I wish my parents thought it was a special occasion when I dropped by we have a massive Feast right here we have a lot of food and then right here we have your family member who lives in this Village this is the goat that was cooked inside the bamboo it's kind of like a way to braise the meat kind of steaming and boiling getting soft for hours oh I'm feeling the mean it's fatty it smells wild and muttony but it also smells like Curry oh yeah the meat is so tender it's very delicious a beautiful mix of seasonings that Masala is on point and spicy it's spicy do you feel like people eat more spice here in the countryside or in the city I think it's the same I feel that though this is just a straight up meat over here is a completely different story our second dish includes goat intestines for a bit of extra flavor mix in a touch of goat blood and other goat organs that have been sliced down into unrecognizable bits then boil with a bit of salt in another pan fry onions in mustard oil add chili Ginger and salt before inviting in the viscera it's kind of a grab bag you don't exactly know what you're getting I'm just going to get a big ball of protein and pick them apart one by one let's find out I think that might be one it's very spongy too but then here I think this is stomach what do you think about this stomach all right fantastic oh yeah very different texture kind of chewy and crunchy at the same time and I gotta say not gaming but there are so many spices out there it's really spider you're making a face is it too much spice I think it's too much for me now so maybe it's spicier in the country yeah I think so I think so aside from a delightful looking goat head dish I'm most looking forward to these black crunchy Critters I know you really like bugs you don't even eat goat a dish everyone at the table seems to have their eyes on can you ask her why she doesn't like goats she doesn't like the smell of the mutton but she likes this tastes crunchy and fatty before they're ready to eat the live bug wings are liberated from their bodies their wings and your fingernails are made from the same stuff and it's not really enjoyable Now The Beetles are ready to fry in mustard oil with a bit of salt along with the bonus giant water bug that haplessly swam into the wrong nut we have an array of bugs I'm Gonna Save this big one for you okay but first we should try these the water beetles cooked beautifully they're shiny they're glistening just a little bit of a gush like a bug paste inside but not super liquidy not like what we had earlier today this is very manageable actually I mean these are even better than the Grasshoppers between the grease and the salt and the crunch it's very similar to popcorn this a water bug they taste like apple I've had this many times in my life before here's an example [Music] foreign [Music] exactly it's your first time experiencing it yes does it taste fruity at all a little bit fruity yes overall are you glad you tried it or is it disgusting I won't have it again what I find so interesting and peculiar here is that you're both cousins your family you're related but your lives it seems couldn't be more different you only live about an hour apart yes you're in the city and then she lives here in the village kind of carrying on these old old traditions do you like the village life more than the busy bustling City she likes her Village what do you like about the village the farming she does and her animals for you how do you feel when you come out here the air is more fresh and of course the people are more friendly so what's stopping you from moving in Opportunity do you treasure some of the Customs that are still held here yeah yeah in fact my mother is very strict about when we go to occasions we only wear the traditional attire you know there's many people like you young motivated looking for opportunities and so more and more people leave the village but one day if everyone goes to the city there's nothing to come back to I was concerned about it like few years ago but then I have seen this new wave of preserving the culture even the young ones I see are very passionate about their own culture they're promoting it online everywhere interesting oddly enough technology is a way that people are able to preserve the culture and keep it moving forward I want to say thank you to everyone thank you you're welcome to get to India's iconic and Macabre Mao Market I've journeyed all the way here to nagaland land is an Indian State located in the northeast of India but the language the people the culture and the food are completely unlike anything you'll find in the mainland this is the creepiest thing I've ever seen it's like a sci-fi movie when someone's making a clone of themselves and it's not quite finished yet next I'm on a mission to experience this country's most far out foods and to understand why people eat this one oh God it's so hard it's so leathery from newly born bug species oh look how active this one is to a medicinal Indian White rat suit I think someone forgot to mince that one another land Journey starts here we've come to Mao Market complex this place has everything and so many things I've never seen before insects rats animals bigger than that that you might have as household pets my goal here is to explore the market see what kind of unique Foods they have and choose some that we're actually going to cook up and eat later let's get started open daily from the crack of dawn mile Market is a bustling Hub here in nagaland's capital city of kohima a city of nearly half a million built upon Rolling Hills the market is run mostly by tribal women who bring their own unique ingredients from surrounding regions ingredients like fresh produce all the way to unusual local Delicacies like these guys are they gonna bite me no no they're very cute in Vietnam I've had gray rats or brown rats to be honest I've never seen white rats in the market usually white rats you'd see them in a science lab doing experiments seeing if the shampoo will kill them that kind of thing here you're selling white rats for consumption is there a reason that people prefer white rats actually the white red it's a we use as medicine yeah and what kind of illness can the rat helps yes of course yes she doesn't like that no he just wants a vaccine taken meet Auntie alibu she's my host and soon she'll be our cook right now I'm joining her as she picks up some ingredients for today's Naga inspired meal when is the last time that you ate rat meat two days back really yes so pretty common yes how much do the rats cost one is 250. this purveyor of fresh live rats has been in business for less than one year where did they come from ready she's become a regular go-to spot for locals in particular locals looking to cure their ales by eating food they believe have profound healing properties actually these rats are coming from the farm aside from these white rats her inventory includes other rodent species right here we have guinea pigs I literally feel like I'm in a pet store right now but all these animals get eaten so is it treating the same illnesses and ailments same same most of the people like this guinea pig herpes it costs 600 rupees okay so over twice the price but if they both do the same thing why would people buy the guinea pig because the guinea pig is more tastier than the [Music] a bamboo rat yes they're pretty expensive because it's very difficult to find the bamboo rats we get only in the jungle how does a bamboo rat help someone's Health we chop off the head and then the asthma patient those who are having a breathing problem they take the fresh blood for a medicinal yeah wow yes several white rats guinea pigs and a bamboo rat Believe It or Not these animals will be the centerpiece for today's meal for this oh my God with our shopping list half complete we head deeper into the market for more I'm intrigued by this state because I know the diet is very different from anywhere else in India but frankly different from anywhere else in the world when it comes to food in nagaland when it comes to animals is there anything that's not okay to eat no not as such so anything goes yes dog meat yes cats yes of course despite what you see here the primary diet in kohima includes pork beef chicken fish and mutton most of the exotic foods here like the white rats are believed to carry with them medicinal properties even dog meat is recommended for those recovering from wounds you've eaten dog meat before yes of course I often take dog meat dog meat is so precious for the Naga people especially for the sports person like an athlete yes if you take dog meat they get more strange you know one of the big controversies around dog meat is how it's procured you know some places maybe they Farm it but in some countries people will go around collect dogs on the street yes and then kill them and eat them the dogs people are eating here yes are they farmed or are people just grabbing them from the street most of the dogs are imported from outside of nagaland okay example from Assam but have you ever heard of a dog Farm no there's no dog Farm no oh [Music] what are some of the other animals people eat in nagaland Wildcat deer wild boar are there monkeys around here yes of course there are you eat monkeys too yes I do oh so there's really no limit yes why do you think people eat so many different types of animals wild animals are so precious to us they have different taste and different effects yes centuries ago the Naga were once Warriors their way of life relied primarily on hunting wild animals the love and pride of the hunt Still Remains deep in the Naga DNA to this day at least for today some of the more extreme pet proteins will not be on our shopping list but this this might be here we have another animal I've not yet seen this is a wood worm yes these look similar to a coconut Worm but longer and a little bit thinner actually it has a peculiar smell ah it is a little like flowery maybe a little like pollen it's hard to put my finger on it exactly well I'm putting two fingers on one right now this is huge can they bite yes oh my God woodworms are found in dead wood from Fallen trees they're red they're thick fat they have a huge head and a giant mandible they are wood eating larvae who aspired to One Day become beetles instead here their life cycle is cut short as these gooey guys are tossed in a pot of hot oil and fried [Music] they're not moving so much anymore is this something you ate growing up no after I close my teenager when you were young yeah did they scare you yes yeah I was sleeping scary okay so it took some time to build up the courage to try it yes let's go for it [Music] okay yeah yeah kind of leathery a big gushy in the middle and it has a really peculiar Aroma a fragrance that goes up your nose what is that it's like a little flowering it tastes a little bit like soap yeah you agree yes and it's yummy in fact that's what it is yep it tastes a little bit like dishwashing detergent but it's not bad this is a good starter worm I wouldn't recommend right away that huge Worm but this one if you're just starting out with worms it's a good beginning worm before leaving the market Auntie alibu introduces me to a vendor selling one of this Market's most expensive yet bizarre buggy offering good morning good morning hey meets full-time vendor and part-time Naga influencer when she's not selling nagaland strangers hits she's parked in front of a camera gnoshing on her own recipes for one of YouTube's most far out mukbangs I'm so excited to speak to you because you have one of the most unique Foods I've ever seen in my life I believe these are Hornet's nests right that's very cool a majestic creature with its dark piercing eyes and black gold Stripes evoking both wonder and a tinge of fear this is a nagaland hornet known for their large size and potent pain-inducing Sting If this thing you'll get fever for one two three days this is a very dangerous food luckily these are premature Hornets days or more from emerging as fully mature adults there's this white bubbly outer layer she peels the cap off and then she reaches inside and grabs the Hornet by the head although she seems a little bit scared of the mandible oh look how active this one is oh and that's the larva yes and this is a middle age it's like half larva half Hornet it's on its way to becoming a hornet it looks like Neo from The Matrix when he was in that big bubbly tube and he was never meant to leave that's like these are usually harvested during the second week of November before the Hornet larvae can fully metamorphosize and distinct happy adult how do you sell these do you sell it by the bug do you sell it by the nest once collected The Nest keeps the Hornets fresh until they're ready for consumption 500. so about 50 for this whole Nest right here why is it so expensive it's so difficult to find out and actually the rich people they take can I tell you something today yes we're the rich people whoa [Music] this tantalizing treat is prepared by dropping newborn Hornets directly into hot oil add a pinch of salt to taste and voila these are gigantic and they still have their eyes and their heads let's do it cheers cheers [Music] delicious it's very big quite crunchy oily a bit similar to a grasshopper but it's like four grasshoppers in one very big but no bad flavor just really crunchy and salty I like it try some more thank you oh you're so generous considering that whole Nest is about fifty dollars each one of these must be about a dollar yes per bite yeah I'm curious is there some health benefit that comes along with the Hornet or are these just yummy any disease sugar patient diabetic patients what about prostate cancer this is a giant wood one let's try try these are ready to eat I know I'm not ready to eat that's a problem actually these are not available in the market only during season time you'll get it right yeah oh God it's so so leathery it's so big it already has my teeth printed [Music] they're cold it's not gushy but it is gooey on the inside me hope you like it I gotta be honest it actually tastes kind of good it's not bitter it's a little eggy it's a nice taste but the texture the outside skin is very leathery and thick and then inside it's like a thick paste so now I cured cancer is that what happened thank you so much you have a treasure of unique animal treats here stop bringing out new bowls that's okay this is the no put that right back where you found it with the Hornets Hornets for not so typical shopping list it's time to trade the chaos of the market for the Tranquility of a traditional Naga home a few places in India can match the unique stunning design of a traditional Naga house they're a true Testament to the Ingenuity and resourcefulness of the Naga people wood and bamboo woven together and adorned with prices from past successful hunts welcome to alibu's home wow this is quite the welcome drink yes it is joining us alibu's nephew David we were just in the market alebu said that this is very good for asthma where's your glass I have no glass made by mixing bamboo rat blood with whiskey this reddish liquid is believed to be a precious medicinal concoction my uncle has asthma and he takes this quite often quite often yes have you ever tried this before should we try it out yep cheers yes oh tastes like whiskey do you taste the blood I taste of iron yes you're right you need a Diet Coke no I'm good I'm good yes heck yeah I'm so curious about this place we are now this is a traditional Naga home it is the kitchen is huge and every angami house the kitchen plays the most important part of our house you got me people one of nagaland's major tribes have a rich culture and way of life this is how we preserve our meat so during Christmas we cut a lot of meat we can't eat everything so we cut it in strips and then hang it on top of the fire as an agrarian Community they're skilled in weaving and wood carving with a strong connection to the land but it's their hunting prowess that best demonstrates their ability to survive in the wild as I walked in I saw a row of skulls they look to be monkey skulls yes it is Ola hunted and these are all decorations that have been there for over 25 years 30 years so we have Antelope deers Stags there's a leopard skull over here next to the hornbill skulls really yeah so somebody hunted a leopard killed it and you ate it yes we did holy cow hunting here is or at least was directly related to status proving one bravery and Valor in the old days we had no money it was all about the system your standing and Society will increase if you show that you are a better Hunter than most but as modernization sweeps over this remote land as the human population surges and the animal population decreases we bear witness to a glorious past told only through the relics of successful hunts tacked on the walls of this home [Music] is underway and everyone is pitching in today auntie alabu is serving up four Naga style courses the fire is lit it's time to work [Music] first clean the rodents including the white rats guinea pigs and bamboo rats torch and scrape away any remaining burnt bits remove the organs and Tails and section up the meat [Music] from here the white rat will become part of a soup simply heat up your favorite rat cooking pot add water salt Ginger and the rat meat then boil for about 30 minutes next the bamboo rat and guinea pigs are made into a curry in a hot boiling pot of water our host carefully adds the proper ratio of salt chili powder fresh ginger and the meat cook until the protein soaks up all that spicy broth while we wait for dinner it's time for an unusual snack hello sir hi I saw these previously in Assam there was a gentleman who had a silkworm farm so you'd grow the worms and then they would make cocoons and then you would use the cocoon for silk and then he would eat the pupa so he could eat the worms because then he would have no silk right but here here we're eating worms the preparation is simple in a steaming pot add bamboo shoot water and ginger then the worms cook it down then add some heat with King chilies and dried chives to go with this we have a delightful beverage this is sticky rice beer oh yeah that's good though I like that kind of fermented taste the worm is kind of cooled down now it's leathery a little bit spiky on the outside I see the head it's kind of flattened out maybe all the juices that were inside have kind of leaked out yes try it out it's got a thick skin but it's also kind of hairy feeling too like when I used to practice kissing on my arm in high school a little bit of hair but I tried to ignore it do you ever practice kissing on your arm I I prefer oh yeah not always available for me I can taste the spices but it's interesting because the broth has probably permeated the skin it's gone through the skin so the inside when it squirts out its little wormy juices kind of spicy and savory you like it very spicy and very hot so that it keeps us company while we drink you know what makes me so interested in nagaland is partially how it's so different from the rest of India do folks here care about mainstream India do you consider what other Indian folks think about what happens in nagaland or how you eat in nagaland not really you see the thing is we are unquestionably a part of India but everything else is different our food habits are different our customs are different our religion is different so as far as food habits are concerned I don't think the nagas really care about what other people say we like the food that we have and we enjoy the food that we have [Music] with our rodent-related soups and curries complete Auntie's cooking concludes with the Hornet larvae fully extracted from their nest and dropped into a Boiling Pot of water with just the right amount of salt Ginger fresh bamboo shoots and green chilies this is a culinary experience not to be missed my gosh you've outdone yourself is this all you yes no help no oh did you help her a little bit I thought I saw you help her I just feel like she's taking all the credit right now joining our meal David's sister una nuo you have cooked all these Foods before yes of course but have you David eaten all these Foods before no guinea pig is new albino mice rat is new and this is so have I I tried the Hornet earlier but I'm curious to try the larva wow like a thick paste inside a little spicy I can taste some of that Ginger oh oh my God sorry it's just that this is the creepiest thing I've ever seen it's like a sci-fi movie when someone's making a clone of themselves and it's not quite finished yet that's what this is well might as well eat it okay yeah a little less pasty slight more of a crunch like the exoskeleton was forming it was baking in the Kiln but didn't quite finish what do you think it's good it's really sweet yeah you're doing your best to keep it together right now aren't you David's sister grew up in this city but as someone from the younger generation she hasn't tried many of these dishes I think we should build up to the white rat but here we have the guinea pig a guinea pig where I'm from we see that as a pet and they make cute sounds they run around and they have a lot of anxiety but not anymore finally these guinea pigs are at peace I've got a piece here it looks like a rack of ribs and a front leg the skin is thick the meat looks juicy I can just kind of peel it right off the bones all right here we go oh yeah my first impression is it tastes like greasy dark chicken like a KFC thigh yeah yeah drumstick right you guys pull down a little bit yes here we have the skid with a little bit of meat attached to them the skin is very fatty and gelatinous and the flavors are quite nice the seasonings it's a little bit spicy it's a bit fresh I'm fascinated by this dish albino rat soup go for this oh my God I think someone forgot to mince that one that's literally a whole rat so we have a rich rat broth here should we give it a little bit it's pretty nice I wish I could stay the same I quite like it it's a little smoky it's got collagen in it it's fatty it's almost like a chicken stock with a little bit of roasted flavor yes yes grab some meat oh yeah the back legs are pretty muscular I think there's a lot of meat back here I want to try to squeeze some of it off I got a quad right here for me it tastes pretty clean neutral maybe a little bit sweet fatty definitely fatty nothing gamey nothing too intense it's quite neutral nothing to remind you that it's a rat well almost nothing to remind you that it's a red except for the visual yes did you try any of the meat great for you are you feeling healthier yes I'm a bit curious she said she's cooked it before meanwhile you two have never even tried it before is it so that the new generation is straying away from some of these more exotic meats personally I spend a lot of my time outside in Mainland yes okay so you really developed your taste outside right right so I'm not very adventurous when it comes to food but my sister and my aunt they've been here all the while well hold on but what's your excuse question I feel like our generation we are more into processed food so like pizza Burgers sandwiches things like that yeah does it bother you that the younger generation will probably not carry on these Traditions yes of course because we have to treasure our culture traditional foods is there anything you can do about that [Music] I have to encourage them how to cook all these traditional dishes of course how to preserve our culture as different cultures become modernized pieces of the culture will naturally fall away and soon they'll just become memories and stories that you'll tell your children a one-time with Auntie I tried some some rats or some guinea pig and maybe it's okay for some pieces to fall away but at least we can have the awareness and the respect Auntie yes cheers thank you so much thank you [Music] thank you [Music] next I'll experience a once in a lifetime event in India where dozens of animals are slaughtered to feed thousands of attendees animals including India's sacred cows has there ever been any backlash about people eating beef here but first let's back up aside from differences in diet folks in this region are also overwhelmingly Christian so 125 years ago we have been converted into Christianity which is Everlasting salvation for the people of economy in the coming days I'll document the secluded Mountain Village as they spend days children's of meat all culminating in one spectacular Feast it all starts here 12 miles west of kohima resting amidst the foothills of the jobful mountain range under a persistent blanket of fog you'll find the Serene Village of konoma but today their usual tranquil life is being upended [Music] we just gotten here shortly after lunch and already several animals have been slaughtered this is a multi-day event there are so many people that are going to be here it cannot all be prepared in one day to begin with they are slaughtering the animals skinning them approaching the fur separating the body parts hanging body parts organizing body parts this celebration is going to take place over three days day one is slaughtering and meat prep day two is cooking and day three is the feast it's hard to express how rare it is to witness an event like that what you're about to see this Village used to follow the faith of animism but 125 years ago they converted to Christianity now only every 25 years this Village celebrates that conversion by inviting thousands of community members here for a giant feast there is no catering team there is no delivery service they're armed only with a small passionate group of villagers and untrained Cooks who will attempt to prepare enough food for 5 000 people this massive meal must be ready two days from now the Race Against Time begins with a slaughtering of the pigs [Music] now if we learned anything from our previous video it's that here in nagaland when it comes to protein anything goes if they could walk you can eat it if it can move it's also fair game you can see the pig has been torched already on the outside that's why it's dark they're going to just scrape all the skin off until the skin is super clean all that skin is going to be delicious after it's boiled grilled whatever they do to it they need the skin to be clean and hairless so when they cook it it's perfectly edible The Village cooking is separated into two main areas with the upper section here dedicated to the butchering and hanging of pork foreign an equally bustling scene unfolds in the lower section where you'll find meat sectioned up from Buffalo I've never seen animal Slaughter or protein preparation on a scale like this ever in my life sure I've seen a cow I've seen a buffalo get slaughtered and prepared and cooked and barbecued and given to a few hundred people this is something different over 50 animals will be sacrificed for this religious celebration among those is the slaughtering of an animal that may stir unease in the hearts of Hindu devotees the sacred cow [Music] now eating beef is actually prohibited punishable by law in many states throughout India here in nagaland eating beef is just a normal way of life [Music] neutral ingredient is still missing aside from Pork and Beef we're also eating a creature called the meat tuna it's cattle it looks like a cow but it's got big funky horns it's something I've never seen before and I can't wait to try it out good morning sir hey good morning TV too late is a tour operator but today he's an active member of the cooking crew right now he and his companions are taking a quick breakfast before getting back to work what time did everyone start this morning probably at 5 pm he said probably does that mean you started later yeah I did okay so there's a lot of preparation the event officially begins tomorrow right that's right so what has to be done today today we'll have to finish with all the decorations all the logistics in the Village Center a temporary mega church has been erected to host the thousands of followers that will flood in tomorrow right now villagers are rushing to make some final touch-ups for this event how many different dishes will you have probably we'll have more than five six digits we could the cow the Buffalo pick and me too Mithun yeah the me too God might have modeled this massive bovine with inspiration from the Buffalo and the cows then granted it residency in Hill forests over three thousand feet above sea level for centuries these Majestic beasts have been an integral part of the nagas diet and religious events they led the metoo in Rome free in the wild until it's time for the slaughter the skin the hoods the meat all our portions as the villagers shift towards today's Focus cooking [Music] [Applause] right here cooking on a massive scale you can see just on this line we have about 10 cauldrons it's literally the biggest pot you can find not only are the villagers preparing massive amounts of food for tomorrow's thousands of guests but they're also preparing food for those guests to take home additional locally as Modi slow cooked meat tuned meat that's bundled in banana leaves pot of mitoon meat ginger garlic and onion also join hands to elevate its flavor what turns out the most about food in this area is the big meat chunk they're not cutting things finely it's not a curry it's big ass pieces of meat this has been cooking already for some time and it's going to cook for hours more we're putting the lid on that one for now and we'll come back to that too among all the frenzied preparations here and there everyday life still carries on well good morning good morning in a quiet corner I take on a konoma style breakfast I have to say I've traveled to many parts of India I've never seen anything like this at the base of this hearty Bowl the Beloved Staples of Naga Cuisine puffed sticky rice and Millet paste in one pan the sticky rice grains are roasted until they puff up in another pan Midland is also roasted but then transferred to a wooden bowl and ground until it becomes a paste foreign super crunchy but the brown part I don't know what to make of that it's kind of earthy it sticks to your mouth it tastes toasted it's interesting texture what do you like about this brownish black part here of course that's good okay fair enough much like the British you have beans for breakfast yes we can even pull it as uh doll has its roots in the Indigenous Cuisine of this region this lentil-based dish is typically made using split red lentils stirred in a pot with water bamboo shoots Ginger pork fat chili salt and garlic that's really good a little bit spicy and do you mix the puff sticky rice with everything yes if you like it you can even mix it yeah this one is a fried bread this is a sticky rice sticky rice it's rarely found in Mainland India but in nagaland it rounds out many meals right now these sticky rice grains are being ground into a flour then they'll be kneaded with water to form a dough flatten the dough and deep fry until the pulse in the golden brown pillows of deliciousness [Music] oh yeah oh I mean already when I just knew it was fried I knew it was going to be good but this is delicious it's like a fried piece of Mochi but better like crunchy it's sticky it's fun to chew on what's your favorite here oh yeah here in lieu of a morning coffee we've got this a chunky tea what is inside of it it's a job upstairs we'll put water and then we'll boil it and then we'll just put some sugar if you like and then we'll just drink oh that's good it tastes a little bit like corn the soupy part has become kind of viscous and thick it's a little sweet the kernels taste a little bit like corn it's very good so you grew up here yes I grew up from this Village itself how many people live in this Village three thousand people [Music] it's home to the angami one of 16 major Naga tribes [Music] for their craft Works agriculture is the backbone of angami life [Music] the villagers abandoned their old hunting and logging practices two decades ago as a commitment to preserving nature yet the biggest change to life here took place 125 years ago in 1897 with the arrival of Christianity the belief system here changing from animism to Christianity how do you think that affected the culture here or the way people grew up in those days konoma villagers will go and attack another Village they were Head Hunters during those days people who can hunt or who can guard another's head is called a great wire you know but now there's no enemies in anymore associate pastor Chase vibilia describes the faith followed before Christianity was accepted here I'm interested in the religious aspect I grew up Christian I know you're a Christian I know you believe in heaven for the people who were animists what do you think happened to them when they died my belief is that it's only two place for everyone life after death whether in heaven or hell so anyone who believe in Jesus and live a life acceptable to God and they will find rest in heaven if not there is no other way so they will have to go to hell that's all the conversion of Christianity was the end of many unsound or even violent customs of the old religion today over 90 percent of the population here are Christian Baptists thank you very much for having us here it's such a rare event truly because in a lifetime maybe three times you'll witness it if you're lucky I think I can reach 150. as we speak an army of cooks continued to move this preparation forward but the clock is ticking Ready or Not droves of enthusiastic hungry guests will arrive here tomorrow falling short is simply not an option yeah right here we have something called nagada and Ferndale is usually lentils here the foreign looks to be a local type of green not too much longer and this is going to be ready to go too tons of food today everyone looks pumpkin actually some people look a little bit nervous I don't know I'll be able to survive it's so Smoky right now it's so hot looking down the cooking Lane I bubbling pots full of unfamiliar greens men sweating by the fire stir enormous pots of meat with equally enormous Foods women with busy hands smash herbs right here we have a whole Trope of ladies making some Chutney inside potato onions and banana Hearts they told me I should help here good while many dishes are reaching the Finish Line some are still taking shape here these two gentlemen are working with the small intestine which has this green goo inside that is a bile or the gastric acid of the small intestine it's green it's dark and it is extremely bitter that is not going to be thrown away that is going to be consumed here at some point while the bile is underway the blood is ready to go pour this Crimson milk into the pot of Modi continuously stir until the meat reaches the desired softness [Music] then the Modi is put to rest waiting to be handed out tomorrow cooking crew also rests for lunch recharging for the long day [Applause] [Music] [Applause] this looks amazing is this similar to what they're going to be serving tomorrow there will be more items this is a beautiful plate it's colorful it's all local what's this right here this we call it the Korean Village in our daily tasty simple boiled greens and then here this looks like pork that's like a big fatty piece of pork mmm oh that's good the recipe is very simple Ginger chili powder salt we put Garlic also a pork skin is awesome amazing texture Ginger makes it taste fresh chili gives it some heat salt makes it Savory and that's all you need we got some pork I think this is beef [Music] this all tastes so good I can't believe it's just like three ingredients it's very good I'm curious have people here always eating beef yes we prefer beef and pork I know that the subject of beef is a little bit controversial in India because in some states in many states it's actually forbidden I've heard in some states if you are caught killing a cow you can actually go to jail forget about going to jail some even kill those people yeah has there ever been any backlash about people eating beef here has the Indian government ever tried to impose some rules here about the consumption of beef there is no direct rule at such but they tried to influence us with Hindus beliefs and practices so slowly everything is creeping in that's what's interesting about India India has kind of this majority the majority would be the Hindu people and they're mostly represented maybe in the North in the South but not in places like this some minority groups don't really get represented as being the face of India that includes Muslim folks and that includes Christian folks too and so it seems like there needs to be room for Christians to respect Hindus and for Hindus to respect Christians do you think 50 years from now is beef still going to be eaten here I don't think they can stop us totally maintain may change but for us our eating habits will still continue though we're small we are actually a different country culturally our looks and everything we are totally different from Indians but then still under Indian government if it was up to you would nagaland be completely independent not very soon but hopefully someday thank you [Music] months of preparation and days of hard work and cooking have finally led up to this moment the event is happening today behind me you can see this impromptu church built ready to hold thousands of people guests are funneling in it's actually a little bit tough because the roads here are very narrow I [Music] singing [Laughter] [Music] this is no ordinary event there are no tourists allowed the konoma villagers have invited their fellow Christians from all over nagaland to join them in celebrating their faith there is no fee to attend but all are welcome to make a donation after a two-hour church service the feast will begin [Music] potatoes are set up a face Style with an array of options rice stewed pork meatoon and beef cooked with bile chicken and bamboo pork dinners poked in blood kidney beans and fern doll fraud boiled local veggies and a dry fish chutney [Music] at last it is time to Feast this tiny village of about 3 000 has basically doubled in population as hundreds and hundreds of people have poured into here and it's very organized I'm so impressed that we are just in the middle of nowhere here in the countryside and they've got walkie-talkies they got like Secret Service putting their finger on their ears saying hey we're low on mashed potatoes and stovetop stuffing they're constantly refilling the food there's loads of people patiently waiting scooping up whatever they want as much protein rice veggies as they want here let's do a quick tour of the plate let's start with a piece of pork now the seasonings are so simple and straightforward Ginger chili powder and salt let's try it out super delicious fatty soft super salty spicy sometimes the food here is insanely salty and so you have to come to this right here the greens are basically saltless like no flavor it just tastes cold and kind of chewy like if you just took spinach boiled it and then put it in the refrigerator meanwhile the meat is really popping with flavor here we have the beef and me too now it's a little hard to tell them apart but I believe this is the mystical Mithun the mitoon is a creature I've never tried before I'm told it's something like half Buffalo half cow the thing is cow tastes like beef and buffalo also tastes like beet so this is going to be something between beef and beef [Music] very Grizzly piece the pork is much softer much more succulent this is so tasty though a lot of sinew a lot of tissue a little hard to chew through and I'm told that the meat tone adds a little bit more Grizzle than typical beef but still delicious with all the spices they put on there finally right here we have what I believe is organs this is clearly caked in blood you can tell by the color and just by that pasty crumbly texture on the outside I'm just gonna try a chunk see how it tastes hands down that tastes the most different from anything else a lot of blood flavor but just a lot of organ flavor too and then some mystery elements too I don't know what this is piece of a heart piece of fat it's nearly impossible to say many different body parts cut up put together and put in a single pot absolutely delicious cleanse the palette with a little bit of greens very nice as the event draws to a close the guests receive their present in the form of Modi before bidding farewell to their welcoming hosts so does everyone lines up they get one package not everyone because it's hard to make but based on family the head of the family registered in the registration Boot and they will get one do I count as a family sure you can kabil hussa is a konoma missionary stationed in a song the event today what do you think success yep it was a nice program it's an honor and a pleasure for me to be here I want to ask more about this Village I'm very intrigued by nagaland in general because it's in India but it's so different from Mainland India in so many ways just down the mountain at the base of Coahoma Village this monolith was erected with these words literally etched in stone nagas are not indians their territory is not part of the Indian Union we shall uphold and defend this unique Truth at all costs and always do you know why that was said in the beginning so when the britishers left our grandfathers our forefathers they want to be independent they don't want to fall under India and so they started the movement and Naga movement they said that we are different we have an identity that we are not the Indians is it just different or do you think nagaland should not be part of India we are as geographically very outskirt and not part of Maine in India one thing that all us together is through financial assistance we solely depend on the government of India so if they're helping nagaland why would you wanna be apart from them as I've said before the way we looks are different the way we dress are different the way we eat the way we talk everything is different and so if we go to Mainland India sometimes they discriminate us as Chinese as Japanese or whatever they themselves did not claim us as one of them and so we don't feel we are Indian that sounds really challenging you know I've been to a lot of big countries now India is huge China is huge and they have very different cultures ancient cultures depending on where you go for my country it's very different because we don't have all these ancient cultures and you go from the west coast to the east coast north south it's all pretty similar but in a place like nagaland within India it feels like a completely different world I've learned so much being here it's a new place it's a fascinating place the people have been very kind the food is delicious and unique and I think there's no other place like it [Music] next I'll be dining in nagaland with the last of India's Headhunters the ghost pepper is the hottest natural occurring pepper in the world and is this a commonly eaten food around here yes yes yes this might be a mistake let's go for it [Music] we've traveled all the way to the India Myanmar border to the home of the cognac tribe the cognac people are known for their Fierce Warrior culture and unique Traditions including the practice of head hunting the necklace the heads on this symbolize how many percent they have killed many in this Village once engaged in the cool custom of beheading men from enemy tribes and keeping the heads as souvenirs when you grew up did you have friends who died at the hands of Headhunters from other Villages for the next 24 hours I'll be staying with the cognac tribe and meeting their Headhunters he is 79 years and he's the youngest yes I'm on a mission to understand their lifestyle and to experience their food what do you do when you go out and hunt and get way too many squirrels and rats you do this you mummify them food that often consists of whatever they hunt from the forest from giant fruit bats to rats and squirrels the treasures of your hunt your Bounty what have you gotten after being out there that's right we've come to the Village of the Headhunters soon we'll be enjoying a huge feast with our main course being pork a lot of pork before we have breakfast the pig must be slaughtered so processing can begin in this part of India there's a big gun culture so today's method of dispatching includes a firearm [Music] a single shot brings out another man plunges a spear into the pig's heart then quickly plugs the wound with leaves to keep the blood from spilling pig is hoisted over a flame and its hair is cinched off this is the cognac way one of the largest most fierce tribes in nagaland known to many as Headhunters cognac people have a profound appreciation for pork and every part of the animal is utilized from head to hook including the blood here they marinate the meat in the pig's own life force pork is not an everyday Indulgence in this rugged terrain the cognac people subsist on whatever nature provides their diet is shaped by the unforgiving mountains they call home I look at my phone and it keeps changing time every 10 minutes because it thinks I'm in India one second then I'm in Myanmar the next second where are we this place is called and it lies in the indomiean mar border but if we just take a few steps we're going to be immune yes and here we have a breakfast this is Indian food yes yes this is Indian food breakfast here is typically carb heavy sweet potatoes tapioca and yams all boiled in a pot like this covered with banana leaves [Music] for breakfast we normally take yum that's how we go for the work and lunch time only we take meat and rice what should we start with start with tapioca okay yes it's little overcooked it's supposed to be overcooked yes yes okay why don't they just call it cooked though warm starchy and a bit overcooked this Chutney you have here this Chutney powder I give it a little bit of a dip so I'm going to kind of coat that oh it's very toasty you can also try these fermented beans Chutney is a complimentary sidekick to almost any dish in India even way out here here they boil soybeans grab them in banana leaves and let them ferment over a fire for up to five days smash some ginger garlic ghost pepper salt in this local aromatic Leaf called me Chingo then the fermented beans and you've got your very own Naga Chutney the ghost pepper is the hottest pepper in the world that was made by God now later some crazy humans made hotter ones and is this a commonly eaten food around here yes wow oh oh that's really hot the spicy Chutney very good very spicy yeah yeah too spicy too spicy for you yeah joining me so how are you feeling today she speaks the unique dialect of this tribe he's very happy he is 89 years old 89 yes when the Headhunter asks for tea you give him tea no yo enough okay he is a Headhunter or I should say a former Headhunter but before we get into that I guess I should just ask what is a Headhunter he was 30 years old when he joined a headhunting raid for the first time a head Thunder is someone who did kind of heroic did like chopping the heads of an enemy back in the day who were his adversaries the cognac Warriors used to go on raids into neighboring tribes territories in the early hours of the morning surprising their enemies while they were sleeping collect the heads of their foes he said that mostly it's like they have land dispute such things they were considered to be his enemies the actual human heads would be displayed in a communal house along with the heads of the most dangerous animals they'd conquered back then what tools did they use what weapons did they use to kill their enemies they carry machete on the back as well as the spear [Music] and also the gun to shoot for the cognacs it 'll right of passive pass it for young men there was no greater glory than demonstrating his courage and skill in the hunting of human heads what was the feeling bringing back the enemy head to your own village like the modern Army they also get promotion they also get Stars so likewise when he comes back with that hat on his back what he feels is that I am the one who have done great Deeds I will be now holding the highest position in my Society because I am Warrior how many people have you killed the face tattoo that is given only for those who have killed the enemies the necklace the heads on this symbolize how many person they have killed head hunting was a belief that the soul matter resided in the head and by transferring it to another Village Prosperity would follow those days they were like enemies but as of now he has made peace with all those Village members he don't have that such kind of bitterness towards them yeah how they feel about him though I mean today our Bounty of pork will be made into several dishes and shared with The Village's remaining Headhunters breakfast is complete preparations for our big Feast at the end of today is underway [Music] right here you can see the pig has been cut into strips and they're hanging it that's gonna dry and actually that's going to be allocated to some of the older gentlemen in this Village there's one out last night and they may come back at some point with something today we actually have no idea they could come back with a squirrel a fruit bat a deer or even nothing at all we don't know but it seems about 30 to 40 percent of the diet here in this Village still comes from foods and animals that are hunted when you grow up in a culture where any misstep could be your last you don't get to be picky about what you eat lucky for us they got something [Music] [Music] the treasures of your hunt your Bounty what have you gotten after hours and hours of being out there that's right he got a rabbit how many shots did it take all right you got it in two that's good because um this is not fully automatic or semi-automatic it takes about five minutes to reload if you don't get it in Two Shots you're done you know so much of the culture here formerly it used to be about hunting people now it's much more about hunting animals I mean there's just such an insane gun culture here I've never seen something like this where you go to a village in the middle of nowhere and they're able to make their own guns make their own bullets and this is the result they can go out they know what to look for they hunt all day and then they come back with something like this well done uh boom nice the rabbit will contribute to this evening's Feast but in the meantime I'm headed off to meet the village gunsmith and when a man has this much artillery in his home you better show up with a gift we're cooking up some pig on the other side of the village so I thought we'd bring this up this is a very special recipe remember those pork strips we left hanging in the wind that with the addition of pork blood with bamboo shoot juice join hands to form a traditional cognac dish its flavors are enhanced with salt fermented bamboo shoots Sawtooth herb garlic ginger and the infamous ghost pepper [Music] you've got the skin you've got the fat and then you've got a bit of protein on there too it is so rich and I can taste the flavor of the fermented bamboo shoot I think it's delicious it's super fatty but really soft and it's a very unique taste with the bamboo in there they said that they're enjoying a lot fantastic I want to learn more about you guys I know you are the village gun maker meet wongshan he crafts firearms from scratch how long have you been making Firearms here he started since the year 1997. how did you learn to make Firearms he checked the ones which were already made and looking at that he made new one really that's incredible according to oral tradition the cognacs learned the art of gunsmithing from the British colonists who traded with them in the 19th century so right now we're going to see how to load a musket a locally made musket right here in this Village it starts with the gun powder the cognacs then developed their own techniques and Designs passing them down from generation to generation we basically have some string that he's twisting up he's going to shove that into the barrel it's going to be tight so that's called the wad that's going to help create pressure behind the projectile when he fires so now he steps down the wad the projectile usually consists of lead balls but these small Jagged pieces of Steel seem to also do the trick almost Cube shaped pieces of Steel that is going to drop down into the Barrel in there yes okay okay from here he's jamming in the projectile everything is inside but it's not quite ready yet so right now he's applying the primer when he pulls the trigger the hammer is going to throw forward it's going to hit the primer that's going to create a spark the spark is going to burn the gunpowder push the wad and throw the projectile towards whatever he's aiming at we're gonna see how it looks in a second hopefully he didn't put too much gunpowder it is happening now this is going to be very loud and it's a musket so it's oh my God I forgot to plug my ears I didn't think he was going to shoot it because who holds the gun all right so um I am now deaf I've never seen somebody fire a rifle like this must be a new school of firearm Mastery but well done all right well the ground it's 100 dead do you guys hear a ringing I hear a ringing it's um that's not coming back the encounter with the gun-wielding British wasn't the first the cognac had with the outside world there were others whose influence would eventually lead to the end of head hunting I can see from your necklace that you've taken five lives were those all with a firearm Longshot is a former Headhunter he shot all the five with the guns he started using the guns since 13 years old 13 yes now he's 86. when did you decide that you could no longer be a Headhunter when the government put a ban that we have to stop all those hunting all these hats hold on okay before that murder was just cool somebody had to create a law like the government had to ban it for people to stop it's not just the government of India it is a contributive work of the Christian missionaries who came from other countries like America before the late 1800s when Christian missionaries arrived the cognacs followed the faith of animism worshiping elements of nature the first time you heard about Christianity do you remember how you felt about it I mean did you immediately change or did it take some time to change in fact there are some other who strongly resist that they don't want to accept but as soon as he began to realize the love of Christ he said that he immediately transformed his mind from being a head Thunder to a Christian Believer by the 1970s the practice around headhunting ceased entirely today these muskets will only be used for hunting animals and the younger generation is no longer marked by face tattoos enters burn locally grown plants are chopped and pot stew over the fire soon we'll enjoy a feast together but for now I've been offered a taste of something truly far out now what do you do when you go out and hunt and get way too many squirrels and rats you do this you mummify them this is actually a mix of creatures right here so they've smoked these they can stay good for a long long time we've got rats squirrels and then check out this freaking monster right here I believe that is a bamboo rat guys don't get me wrong when you look at it if you're just looking at it it's not super appetizing but you can't just look at it you have to think about how it's going to taste after they boil it in water and make kind of a stew out of it like they've done right here the mummified rat is lightly roasted and its outside layer of soot is rinsed before it's scraped clean the skewer is removed and the meat is placed in a pot of water now liven up the rat meat with fermented bamboo shoots dried bamboo shoots Szechuan pepper Ginger salt and finally ghost pepper that is still it's in the shape of a rat the meat is really softened up so it's gone from a jerky and it's become kind of rehydrated I'm gonna try the broth first now huh [Music] it's like a little gamey it's smoky it's really spicy and gosh they have those ghost peppers here and they use it in everything they love it that just lit my throat on fire and then here we've got some of the meat that's a good amount of meat no bones pure protein you can feel that the meat has been rehydrated it certainly doesn't taste like fresh meat crazy spicy super Savory it's an interesting stock I mean for you guys at home it's a fun tip like if you don't want to waste your rats you could always just put the rats in the freezer until you want to make a rat stop um should I try more you guys get the point right all right I'll try a little more I don't know whenever I eat this stuff people always ask like are you sick you get sick a lot and I really don't but in these moments I'm like well this will probably be the day right the day that I'm literally a 12 hour drive from anything but maybe not nice the final details of our Feast are wrapping up first the pig head which is being cooked into a curry using familiar ingredients like salt ghost pepper Sawtooth herb ginger and garlic meanwhile in another pot pig organs and pig blood [Music] the innards along with local nairam leaves gentlemen I'm very excited to be here joining me the village Elders the last remaining Headhunters of this cognac tribe as I gather around all of you now at the same time I'm curious which one of you is the youngest he is the youngest amongst five of them he is 79 years old and he's the youngest yes yes we have a couple of different things we have the pork that was slaughtered this morning I think we should try that out oh this is so good it's very rich and there's so many different cuts of meat in here it looks like just some normal meat plus organs plus the greens yeah that is the wild Leaf locally available here which the people of this Village usually cook with the meat oh yeah the meat is very tender and the leaves wow those leaves are incredible how do you say delicious here the rabbit foreign the rabbit then hack it into pieces marinate the meat with fermented bamboo shoots salt ghost pepper salt tooth herb and pepper cover the pot with banana leaves and let it stew try it out please oh wow really good that's unbelievable because it's so moist you know rabbit can usually be a bit dry it doesn't have much fat like me it's very delicious it's very juicy moist has a wonderful seasoning on it and it reminds me of chicken [Music] some questions about you I've talked to a lot of people today I noticed you're the first person I met who carries six skulls on his necklace pendoon ponyak is the oldest of all at the age of 89. were you ever in fear of people coming to your village to attack in the past he lost some friends at the hands of other Headhunters it is not just not just that the whole villagers they also don't care that the answer so now with the Banning of that head hunting as they have stopped completely now it is say that they are feeling peace and have the sense of security in them I'm so curious because Christianity came here over some time the village converted completely and this head-hunting way of life stopped you know one of the big top 10 commandments of the Bible is to not kill yet these days everyone is still wearing these necklaces symbolizing how many people they've killed or have been a part of killing it can seem like Outsiders to me like it's a symbol of prider of this accomplishment considering that now everybody has become Christian why do you still wear the necklace they also feel a little insecure and guilty putting on this necklace but from inside of the heart they say that they have accept Christianity they have the heart to forgive others and also they do wish that God will forgive them but the thing is that this culture it was like since time of our forefathers and so like they did not want to remove this like a tradition it has passed on for them to put on this necklace it feels like being a Headhunter and your day was kind of a rite of passage for men is there a new private of passage for men these days to be called a heroic Deeds was like chopping of hats for them but now they said that is no more unlike the past someone who learns how to forgive others and how to live in peace work for the well-being of all the people in the community as well as with others that is considered to be the warrior [Music] guys that is the end of video number five here in Northeast India my gosh what an amazing experience words can't describe I did not expect it to be like this but it blew my mind anyways very unique people Rich cultures and just so much to see I feel like I've only scratched the surface I hope to one day come back and find more I hope you enjoyed this series and seeing these unique cultures and people and tribes let's do it again otherwise guys that is it for this one thank you so much for watching I will see you next time a peace [Music] I uh I'm gonna get drunk I'm tired it's a long day

Channel: Best Ever Food Review Show

Views: 4,200,745

Keywords: Best ever food review show, befrs, sonny side, befrs team, food, around the world food and culture, best ever food review show, exotic food, bugs, dog meat, hornet, worm, larvae, indian, indian food, ethnic food, head hunter, head hunting, middle east, country in asia, asian food

Id: SZkdpPmg8-o

Length: 95min 59sec (5759 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 26 2023