Arunachal Pradesh is one of the seven sisters state of North-Eastern India and just like any other North-Eastern states, its tradition and culture are one of the main focal point of Indian tourism. Food of Arunachal Pradesh forms an essential part of the culture of North East India, and if you want to understand and feel the real culture of Arunachal Pradesh, every traveller must taste it’s local and famous delicacies. The initial thing you should understand about food of Arunachal Pradesh is that it varies from tribe to tribe.

When you drift towards the eastern side of Arunachal Pradesh, you would notice that people there are dependent a lot on bamboo and many other leafy green vegetables which are usually boiled and less oily. Food in Arunachal is mostly boiled as the people of Arunachal hates fried food. The food in Arunachal Pradesh is as significant as its picturesque landscapes. People of North-East use of lot of dairy products and herbs in food at their homes. While travelling to Arunachal Pradesh, one should definitely try its tasty and exquisite food. Here is our list of the most famous foods in Arunachal Pradesh. 

Popular Food Of Arunachal Pradesh

Rice

Rice is a staple food of Arunachal Pradesh, and every other cuisine is just a side dish. The most important and different thing about the rice served in Arunachal Pradesh is that they prefer to cook their rice in a hollow bamboo over some hot burning red coal to give it a different smoky flavour than other types of rice. Who doesn't want to delight their tastebuds with it, right?

Bamboo shoot

Bamboo shoot is extensively eaten through all the North Eastern States because of its delicate and exquisite flavour and is an important component among the food of Arunachal Pradesh. Made of delicate bamboo, the mouth-watering bamboo shoots are used in the dishes of pickles, boiled vegetables, chutneys, cooked meat and, much more.

Pika pila

Pika pila is a famous variety of a pickle that is mostly made by the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. It is a favourite complement of food in Arunachal Pradesh. Pika Pila is a type of a pickle that is made by using bamboo shoot and pork fat by adding a small amount of King Chilly. It is hot but not extremely spicy as to make you feel sick and bad. Travellers should try it while on the trip to Arunachal Pradesh.

Lukter

Another mouth-watering and elegant food of Arunachal Pradesh is the Lukter. A Recommended dish for the pure beef lovers, it is not a complicated dish and is a combination of cooked dry meat and chilli flakes from the King chilly or Bhut Jolokia sprinkled on top. Like the norm goes with Arunachal, this too is just a side dish to be eaten along with the rice. Lukter is a perfect evening snack to be enjoyed with a cup of hot tea in the evening.

Pehak

Pehak is also a side dish delicacy among the food of Arunachal Pradesh. Pehak is a type of spicy dip or chutney that is made by blending fermented soya bean and chillies. Served with steamed rice, the chilly used in this chutney is the King chilly and it is the main ingredient of this dish which gives it its known hot and spicy flavour. It tastes best when served with flavoured rice.

Apong

Apong is a kind of local beer which is made by fermenting the rice. Also, it is the most loved and important traditional drink of Arunachal. Free of any chemicals, Apong is a home-made alcoholic beer and is light on your tastebuds as well as your body. This drink is a traditional food in Arunachal Pradesh and is served with bamboo shoot to enhance the flavours.

Marua

Not satisfied with Apong? Then you should definitely try Marua. Similar to Apong, Marua is also a type of alcoholic drink made by fermenting millets instead of rice. It is a very common and affordable drink of Arunachal, enjoyed best when consumed with other food of Arunachal Pradesh occasionally. If in Arunachal, we recommend you to try both Marua and Apong.

MoMo

Stuffed with various vegetables like cabbage, potato, carrot in their vegetarian variants and chicken, mutton, and beef in their non-vegetarian variantsm, MoMo is a type of dumpling and is a defining food of the northeast. In the last decade, Momo’s have become a favourite dish of the youth in Delhi. It is a recommended food in Arunachal Pradesh to try.   

Dung Po

Dung Po is a famous food of Arunachal Pradesh made with rice. Local people prefer to cook it in two brass utensils and once cooked, the rice is wrapped in leaves and served elegantly. The aroma of this dish is enough to make your mouth wet with water and the smell of the leaves will make you feel hungry, for you will not wait to guzzle when served.

Chura Sabji

Chura Sabji is a type of curry made of fermented cheese and is a traditional food of arunachal pradesh. This cheese is usually made with either yak milk or cow’s milk and king chilli flakes are sprinkled on the top to make it spicy and delicious. And also, the Chura Sabji is one of the popular dish in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.

Meat

Saved for the last but the best, Meat is the main delicacy and food of Arunachal Pradesh. There’s not a single Arunachali who hates meat be it Chicken, Mutton or pork. The people of Arunachal usually favour not to have their meat fried, and it's usually boiled or smoked. In Arunachal, the most common meat is that of an animal called 'Mithun' which is a member of the cattle family found exclusively in the North East.

If you are planning a trip to Arunachal Pradesh, you should go through our many Arunachal excursion programs for an Unforgettable and hassle-free holiday. Hurry and book your Arunachal, Meghalaya and North-East packages with us and grab exciting deals and offers.