Kaziranga travel guide

Assamese thali

Assam's complete traditional meal—khar (alkali dish from banana fiber), tenga (sour fish curry), pitika (mashed preparations), fermented fish (shidol), rice and seasonal greens; the Assamese combination of sour, bitter and pungent is unique to this specific geography

Masor tenga

Assam's prized sour fish preparation—a light, tangy fish curry using outenga (elephant apple), tomato or mustard greens for the souring agent; never heavy, always refreshing; Guwahati's Assamese restaurants serve it with red rice and pitika as the state's essential meal

Duck curry

Assam and the Northeast's cherished meat—ducks from the Brahmaputra river system are slow-cooked with mustard, ash gourd (lau) and dried fish; duck eating is culturally associated with the Assamese harvest; rarely found outside the Northeast and deeply prized locally

Rice beer

Northeast India's ancient fermented brew—apong in Assam (rice beer fermented with herbs), chhou in Manipur, rakshi in Nagaland; each community maintains specific fermentation practices; served at festivals and offered to guests; non-commercial, home-produced and culturally essential

Pitha

Assam and Bengal's ancient rice preparation—various forms of steamed, fried or baked rice flour cakes; bihu pitha are made for the harvest festival Bihu; til pitha (sesame-filled), narikol pitha (coconut-filled) and ghila pitha (fried); technically demanding and lovingly made