Hmar Food

Rice is the staple food of the Hmar people. Wheat, maize and millet are the substantial cereals, which can be prepared for consumption in various ways.

Large quantities of cooked rice, meat, and vegetables are consumed with various kinds of chutney, ginger, garlic, chilies, and spices. Two heavy meals of almost identical preparation a day is consumed and all else are comestibles of little significance.

Since jhum cannot supply all the vegetables and meat, they constantly go to the forest seeking for vegetables, and hunting for deers, fowls, trap small games like squirrels, birds, etc. In preparation, nothing is discarded; teeth, brain, claws, innards are all included.

The Hmars eat lots of hot chilli (pepper) but with very little spice.

Some of the famous dishes are Chartang (meat mixed with vegetable and hot pepper), Hmepawk (stew), and Changalhme (vegetable or meat cooked with hot chili and soda prepared from the ashes).

Rice bear/wine (zupui) was openly served before Christianity came. They drank zupui in celebration of arrival of successful hunting expeditions, harvest festivals and return of a good friend from a long journey.

As of now, tea is served in place of zupui (rice beer). They smoke indigenous “dumziel” or Mizo cigarette and also factory made cigarettes. They also use indigenous pipe for smoking tobacco. They sip nicotine water or “tuibur” frequently and chew betel leaves and areca nut.

(Inpui welcomes readers to send in their entries for cooking different types of Hmar traditional dishes either in Hmar or English. Add photos if possible).