As the world marks World Food Day and the 80th anniversary of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), it is worth turning our attention to the vibrant, sustainable, and deeply nutritious food traditions of the indigenous tribal communities of Northeast India.
World Food Day, celebrated every 16 October, commemorates the founding of the FAO in 1945. It reminds us of a global commitment to ensuring that, as the FAO defines it, “food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs for an active and healthy life.”
In 2025, the EAT-Lancet Commission reaffirmed that a healthy diet is one that promotes not merely the absence of disease, but complete physical, mental, and social well-being. This holistic understanding of health finds a perfect reflection in the traditional diets of Northeast India’s tribal communities.
Better Food: Lessons from tradition
For generations, tribal communities across the region have cultivated a food culture that is balanced, local, and sustainable. A typical traditional meal includes a carbohydrate staple—rice or millet—accompanied by animal proteins, leafy greens, and an array of foraged ingredients such as wild mushrooms, herbs, and even edible insects. These foods are rich in micronutrients and have long supported the nutritional security of these communities.
Equally vital are the kitchen gardens, a cornerstone of rural life in the hills of the Northeast. These small home gardens produce a variety of vegetables and herbs, many with known medicinal properties. They are a model of sustainability: local, fresh, cost-effective, and environmentally sound.
Unlike mass-produced or imported food products, these ingredients are harvested and consumed within the community, ensuring freshness and minimal nutrient loss. They are accessible to all households, regardless of income, and can be prepared easily, even in remote or market-limited areas.
Better Health: Nature’s own nutrition
Traditional foods, whether homegrown or foraged, are inherently chemical-free. They are untouched by the harmful pesticides and preservatives common in industrial agriculture, and their consumption supports long-term physical and mental health.
The region’s cuisine also abounds in fermented foods, long recognised for their probiotic properties and benefits for gut health. In an age where poor gut health is increasingly linked to a wide range of modern ailments—from metabolic disorders to mental stress—these ancient culinary practices offer a powerful, natural remedy.
Hand in hand for a healthier future
To build a healthier society, we must reclaim and celebrate our traditional foods. Communities, schools, and mothers’ groups can work together to revive knowledge about the nutritional and medicinal value of indigenous diets.
Policymakers must also play their part by supporting local initiatives that promote traditional agriculture, food preservation, and awareness. At the same time, young chefs and culinary innovators can reimagine traditional ingredients in contemporary ways, making them more appealing to younger generations and urban consumers.
The hospitality sector too has a crucial role to play by incorporating local dishes and ingredients into their menus, turning traditional food into a source of regional pride and economic opportunity.
Finally, researchers and academics can document and disseminate indigenous culinary knowledge, ensuring that it informs policy, education, and public health efforts.
As we celebrate World Food Day 2025, let us remember that the answers to the world’s food and health challenges may not lie in distant laboratories, but in the ancestral kitchens and fields of our indigenous communities.
If we truly wish for better food and a better future, we must walk hand in hand—with tradition, with sustainability, and with one another.
About the author
Dr Chubbamenla Jamir is a Food System Scientist based in Delhi and Director and Founder of the Native Foodscape Foundation. She is also an Associate at the Walker Institute, UK, and Co-Lead for the Thematic Working Group on Mountain Food Systems of the Himalayan University Consortium.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Eastmojo.
Also read | Preserving tradition: Why bats are harvested and eaten in this Naga village
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