A Study On The Preparation Technique Of Fermented Rice Beverages By The Thadou-Kuki Tribe Of Manipur

Abstract

The present study provides information about the fermented rice beverages of the indigenous Thadou-Kuki tribes of Manipur along with its ethnomedicinal and cultural importance. The different types of fermented rice beverages were surveyed using questionnaires and documented. The present study reported the preparation technique and important used of the fermented rice beverages by the Thadou-Kuki tribes. These alcoholic rice beverages were consumed in different occasions like marriages, birth, death, ceremonial sacrifices and celebration of successful harvest and hunting besides festivals. The knowledge of these fermentation technique is handed down from generation to generation by words of mouth, and still remain alive as an oral tradition. Documentation and study of the cultural and ethnomedicinal uses of these fermented rice beverages and the preparation technology will be discussed in this paper.