Assam’s ricebased heritage brews to hit the markets in new avatars
GUWAHATI: For centuries, tribes and communities in Assam have been brewing alcoholic drinks in their homes and using them not just as intoxicants but also as part of social and traditional rituals.
But in a few months from now, these popular brews are all set to get a makeover—from being manufactured in stateof-the-art facilities to modern packaging— and hit the markets in new avatars.
Two rice-based brews – ‘Xaj pani’, used by Ahom and Tiwa communities; and ‘Judima’ of the Dimasa tribe – would be available by end of this year.
Rice-based traditional alcoholic beverages like ‘Sake’ from Japan, ‘Yakju’ from Korea or ‘Sato’ from Thailand are integral part of many Asian countries.
In Assam, too, such brews are part and parcel of most indigenous communities.
Besides Ahoms, Tiwas and Dimasas, Karbis have their ‘Hor Alank’, ‘Jou Bishi’ of the Bodos, ‘Sai Apong’ of the Mishings, ‘Lao Pani’ of the Lalungs or ‘Photika’ of the Kacharis.
Each tribe has its own unique recipe, but the brews are usually made by preparing a cake of steamed glutinous rice mixed with herbs and spices, and letting it ferment for several days.
Apart from being intoxicating, the herbs mixed with the cake (called starter culture) are also believed to have therapeutic properties, claim the makers. The ingredients and the quantities used are kept secret and hence the slight variation in taste from one household to another.
Though consumed widely, there was no uniformity of taste, alcohol levels and shelf life of these brews. Research to standardize these liquors started nearly a decade ago at the Jorhat-based Assam Agricultural University (AAU).
“Over the years, we were able to bring uniformity in starter culture, control alcohol content, improve shelf life and also remove the foul odour of ‘xaj pani’,” said Dr Madhumita Barooah, professor of biotechnology at the AAU.
“We have been able to increase shelf life to 7 months, keep alcohol content at around 10%, stop fermentation process from continuing beyond a certain period, and done away with use of starter culture by introducing bacteria and other substance needed for fermentation,” she added.
In the meantime, the state government decided to promote these heritage alcoholic beverages and brought about amendments to the excise policy last year to encourage commercial production.
This drew interest of local entrepreneurs. One of them was Jorhat-based North East Agro Products and Services, which is planning commercial production of ‘Xaj pani’. “We were interested in promoting local brews and the state’s move made us take the leap. We got in touch with AAU and got the technology transferred to our company,” said Akash Jyoti Gogoi, director NEAPS.