About
Introduction
An ethnic representation of the rich and varied culture of North-East India is rice based alcoholic beverage. The indigenous North-eastern tribal communities who live in the highlands, particularly the foothills of the Himalayas, drink rice based alcoholic beverage, which is brewed using ancient techniques. Different tribal populations refer to these fermented rice drinks by other names; for instance, the Garo tribe of Meghalaya calls them Chubitchi, the Rabhas of Assam call them Choko, and the Angamis of Nagaland call them Zutho. Additionally, the components used to make the rice beverages are indigenous to the tribes, depending on the geographical ecosystems.
Many tribes and clans in Assam have been making alcoholic beverages at home for decades, utilizing them not just as a means of intoxication but also as a component of social and religious rites. Indian food from the northeast is well-known in India and abroad. The utilization of native plants, distinctive cooking methods, and colorful spices leave people wanting more.
A Peek Through History
The history of Xaj goes long back to the Ahoms. To understand the history and significance of Xaj, we must first comprehend the history of our typical beacon sages. When they arrived under the patronage of Sau Lung Sukapha, the Prince of Mung Mao, present-day Yunnan province of China, and nearby areas in the early 13th century with a group consisting of 900 soldiers, 15 elite members, two elephants, and 300 horses, among other things, they called this lovely valley of the Brahmaputra the country of Golden Garden.
They arrived in Assam in 1228, and after several field trips to choose a permanent location, Saulung Sukapha founded his capital there in 1253. This began the 600 illustrious years of Ahom kingdom in Assam, which lasted until the momentous Yandaboo treaty was signed in 1826. Many Tibeto-Barman ethnic groups populated the Brahmaputra valley before their arrival, and these tribes dominated it through petty princely republics. They did try to resist their new neighbors, but in the face of Sau Lung Sukapha’s diplomacy, they submitted and acknowledged his superiority.
The ‘Ahomisation’ process began, paving the way for the mighty Ahom Kingdom and the broader Assam via peaceful coexistence, cultural assimilation, and involvement from all parties under the reign of Sau Lung Sukapha. With time, they rose to prominence as a force to be reckoned with after repelling Mughal invaders 17 times, and their fame extended throughout the surrounding area.
Since then, a lot of water has passed through the Brahmaputra River. Sivasagar’s Ahom treasures and heritages continue to beckon us to explore their stunning architecture, culture, power, audacity, and glorious history. Lachit Borphukan, the Saraighat War, our national emblem, the culture, and its insignificant components form the foundation of our society and define Assamese people.
The love for rice
The North Eastern states of India, including Assam, have a thriving rice culture regarding consumption and agricultural methods. Agricultural techniques can range from terracing and jhumming to wet rice production, depending on the local topography. Numerous wild types of rice have been found. The abundance of hundreds of native rice cultivars has persuaded some researchers to consider this area one of the possible locations where rice was first domesticated. Several of the Neolithic sites in the area contain rice-related artifacts. Given this, rice serves as the region’s indigenous inhabitants’ primary source of carbohydrates. It is the main component of daily meals, which are eaten twice to three times daily.
Northeastern people appreciate the importance of rice because nearly every other festival in North-East India celebrates the many types of rice planted at various times of the year. This is true for most holidays observed throughout India at different periods of the year. If rice is the main crop in Eastern and Southern India, wheat and coarse grains like bajra, jowar, etc., are the main crops in Northern and Western India. However, rice also holds a unique position of prominence in these areas. In many North Indian houses, Vasant-Panchami/Saraswati Puja is still incomplete without eating Peele-chawal. The first visit of the son-in-law to the bride’s family following the marriage is sometimes marked by the cooking of rice as a particular expression of his welcome in several regions of Rajasthan, Haryana, and Western Uttar Pradesh.
Rice is also used to make a variety of sweets and other treats in addition to meals. Among the variety of regional indigenous tribes’ traditional foods and drinks, rice-based beverages are practically universal. These drinks are essential to their traditional culture, and ceremonial acts would be lacking without rice brew. Additionally, it is utilized during celebrations and served with various foods. So, rice beverages are both holy and commonplace. Apong of the Mishings, Jou of the Bodos, Xaj of the Ahoms, and Judima of the Dimasas are a few of Assam’s legendary rice brews.
A Quick Look into the Ethnic Diversity of Bor- Axom
More than 23 ethnic groups, each with a distinctive cultural identity, can be found in the state of Assam, including the Ahom, Bodo, Mishing, Rabha, Hajong, Karbi, Sonowal Kachari, Tiwa, Dimasa, Deori, Mech Kachari, Tai Phake, Chutia, and others. One of Assam’s largest linguistic communities, the Bodo population is primarily concentrated in the Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Districts (BTAD) region. They are recognized as Assam’s first settlers and were the ones to plant rice and raise silkworms there. They are said to have come from Tibet. The Karbis are a powerful Assamese tribe that primarily resides in the Karbi Anglong hill area.
Additionally, the state’s plain regions have many Karbi communities. The districts of Kamrup (M), Morigaon, Nagaon, Golaghat, Sonitpur, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, and Cachar are home to Karbis, who reside on the plains. The Karbis are members of the Tibeto-Burman language family and the Mongoloid family. The Tai Ahom groups of Assam are found in Sibsagar Charaideo, Jorhat, Golaghat, Dibrugarh, Dhemaji, and Lakhimpur and are members of the Indomongoloids racial group. The Ahom clan-controlled Assam from 1228 AD until 1826 when the Tai Prince Sukapha arrived from Southeast Asia. The Bodos are the most prominent tribal group, followed by the Mishing, formerly known as the Miri. It belongs to the Mongoloid group and is a scheduled tribal community as defined by the Indian Constitution.
One of Assam’s plain tribes, they live across the Brahmaputra Valley, particularly in Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur, and Sibsagar. Another sizable Assamese population that is dispersed over the districts of Goalpara, Bongaigaon, Kamrup, Darrang, and Barpeta is the Rabha community.
Traditional alcoholic drinks made from rice, such as “Sake” from Japan, “Yakju” from Korea, or “Sato” from Thailand, are a staple in many Asian nations. Such beverages are a staple of most indigenous groups in Assam as well. The Karbis have their own “Hor Alank,” “Jou Bishi” of the Bodos, “Sai Apong” of the Mishings, “Lao Pani” of the Lalungs, or Photika” of the Kacharis in addition to Ahoms and Dimasas. Although each tribe has its unique recipe, the brews are often created by steaming glutinous rice, adding herbs and spices, and then letting it ferment for a few days before adding water and drinking it.
The manufacturers of these beverages assert that in addition to being intoxicated, the herbs incorporated with the cake (referred to as starting culture) are also thought to have healing characteristics. The women in society typically keep the authentic ingredients and serving sizes a secret, which accounts for the tiny flavor variations between households.
Unifying The Traditions Under One Banner: XAJ
Assam made up of the Brahmaputra valley, hills, and plains, was founded in 1972. It has 32 districts, a 78,438 km2 total area, and two types of tribal people: ST (Hills) and ST (Plains), who together make up more than 20 tribes. The second-largest state in India’s northeast is Assam. The practice of traditional manufacturing these beverages among the various Assamese ethnic groups is supported by the state’s geographical setting and climatic circumstances. Although multiple tribes utilize different plant resources to make beginning culture, the process for making rice based alcoholic beverage and the related starter culture is nearly identical. Assam is home to several powerful tribes, including the Bodo, Karbi, Deori , Rabha, Mishing, and Sonowal.
Jou bishi/Jumai is a rice based alcoholic beverage made by the Assamese Bodo tribe. The starting culture they utilized to make Jou is referred to locally as Angkur. The rice is boiled, let to cool, and then stored to dry out. It is given to Angkur and kept for the entire night. After adding a small amount of water, the mixture is stored in an earthen pot for at least 3 to 4 days to allow for fermentation. The bulk is combined with water and filtered to produce the liquor.
Hor-Alank is a traditional rice based alcoholic beverage of the Karbi tribe of Assam’s. Cooked rice is fermented to make Hor-Alank, which is then combined with a locally made yeast cake powder known as Thap. Hor-Arak is the name of the distilled Hor-Alank. Rice soaked in water, and marthu (Croton joufra Roxb.) leaves are traditionally used to make the starting culture, Thap. In addition, leaves from locally accessible species like Acacia pennata, Wild and Amomum corynostachyum. Wall are utilized to make starter cultures. After cooling, cooked rice is spread out on a bamboo mat (Antar), combined with a sufficient amount of powdered starting cake (Thap), and then kept in a Tebuk (pot) or Pho-le (cooking utensil). The mixture is then allowed to ferment for three days in the summer and four days in the winter. The fermented mass is added, along with enough water, and let to stand for another night (the act of addition of water is called Hor Kangthur). It is then used to distill Hor arak, an alcoholic beverage.
The Deori tribe makes a rice based alcoholic beverage called sujen, and their starter culture is called mod-pitha. When making mod-pitha, rice powder is combined with various powdered plant components, and some previously manufactured old mod-pitha is added as an inoculant. Rice cooked mixed with Mod pitha powder, spread out, and overnight wrapped with banana leaves on a bamboo mat. The next day, the mixture is placed into a kosher clay pot (Koloh), whose mouth is then securely sealed in banana leaves and left to ferment for 3–4 days in the summer and 1–7 days in the winter. After fermentation, meya (a prodigious white foam) developed. Sujen is watered down before being filtered for consumption.
Jonga Mod is a rice based alcoholic beverage made by the Rabha tribe in Assam’s Goalpara area. Jonga mod starter cultures are Bakhor, Surachi, and Phap. Before making the cake, a paste of soaked rice combines a few dry powdered plant species and some old powdered rice cake as inoculants. An earthen pitcher called a Jonga is used to prepare Jonga Mod, After covering the exposed section with a banana leaf and storing it in darkness, the jonga is heated in a fire. Utilizing a container formed of the dried fruit shell of the mature Botttle Gourd, rice based alcoholic beverage is retrieved from Janthi, where based alcoholic beverage accumulates. After three to four days, rice based alcoholic beverage is distilled and purified using a traditional method employing earthen or metallic pitcher-like pots stacked one on top of the other. The fermentation process is again preceded for the second time by adding an acceptable amount of water and rice cake.
The Mishing tribe prepares Apong, and Apop pitha is the ancestor culture of Apong. The rice grains are steeped in water for 3–4 hours to prepare apop pitha. Various plant materials are thoroughly cleansed and ground together. It is combined with a little pulverized old Apop pitha, formed into oval-shaped balls, and let to dry. In an earthen pot, cooked rice is mixed with apop pitha. an earthen pot is sealed by Banana leaves, which is smoked for four to five days over a fire by resting it on a bamboo frame. To make Apong, fermented material is combined with a tiny amount of water and filtered.
The Assamese Sonowal tribe prepares rohi and saoul pitha is the name of the rohi beginning culture. Saoul pitha is made from rice grains soaked in water overnight. The components, which include a variety of wild plant species, are thoroughly cleansed, combined with crushed old Saoul pitha, and then ground together to create the dough. The dough is then formed into little balls and set on banana leaves to dry for three to five days. Half-cooked rice is cooled down before blended with Saoul pitha to make rice based alcoholic beverage (Rohi). The mixture is then fermented for 3–4 days in an earthen pot wrapped with banana leaves. From the fermenting material, rohi is extracted.
The Ahom Community produces Xaj pani and Vekur pitha/Xajor pitha is the name of the starting culture they use to make rice based alcoholic beverage. The Vekur pitha/Xajor pitha preparation method, which uses rice powder and a few wild plant species’ leaves as supplementary materials to create a medium for yeast development, has been utilized by rural Ahom’s traditional farmers for millennia. Initially the cooked Bora rice (sticky rice) is spread over Bamboo Mat, for one hour. The dried and cooled rice is combined with powdered Vekur pitha/Xajor pitha, a fermenting agent, and placed in a clay pot called a Kalah, where it is stored in the dark for four to five days. Following 4-5 days of fermentation, the pure alcoholic juices (Known as Xaj/Rohi) are extracted using a succession of tanks and a filtration procedure.
The definition of “Khilonjiya” (Indigenous) has always been unintelligible. Many scholars have tried to define what it could mean to be an Assamese but have failed to find common ground. Ahoms, In the first centuries after Christ, moved from the Yunnan province of China into Indochina and northern Myanmar (Burma), and via Patkai, they came into the uneven land. Along with them, they brought countless artful traditions and enriched the ever present culture of our land. Singularity cannot define the Assamese culture in isolation, for its power and uniqueness lies in diversity. Xaj is such an example that traveled a long way into Assam with Ahoms and found its way into the different tribes and their daily life. It is known by various names and slightly different procedures to produce this delicacy. Xaj hence is an umbrella term that encapsulates all the words known for the people who are in awe of rice based alcoholic beverage.
Health & Wellness and Nutritional Value
The probiotic content of rice based alcoholic beverage has led to the belief that it is Mother Nature’s elixir. It is a natural antioxidant since it is a rich source of nutrients. Rice based alcoholic beverage’s extensive therapeutic advantages and medicinal qualities are widely recognized. It works wonders to heal infections, prevent gastrointestinal diseases, reduce pain, increase strength, and more. Following delivery, newborns in indigenous tribes are given a few drops of rice based alcoholic beverage customarily produced as a religious and customary event.
The traditional rice based alcoholic beverage of the Rabha people is utilized to benefit human health. Surprisingly, the indigenous Karbi people employed their traditional rice based alcoholic beverage to combat such contagious infections during the cholera pandemic in the 1960s and 1970s.
The traditional rice based alcoholic beverage is consumed by the ethnic tribes not only as a social, cultural, and ritual activity but also for its nutritional content and potential health benefits. The traditional rice based alcoholic beverages of many tribes can aid with illness prevention and excellent health maintenance. Phytoestrogens, terpenoids, carotenoids, limonoids, phytosterols, glucosinolates, polyphenols, flavonoids, iso-flavonoids, and anthocyanidins are just a few of the phytochemicals found in the herbal components of the various leaves, barks, and other parts used in the preparation of the fermented beverage. According to the conventional healthcare system, these phytoconstituents notably influence the diagnosis and treatment of certain illnesses.
Conclusion
The socio-cultural legacy of India’s North-Eastern states has traditionally supported the brewing and consuming of rice based alcoholic beverage. Idioms, folktales, ballads, and numerous folk-dance forms all stress the need to make rice based alcoholic beverage to establish a close connection between nature and humanity. Making rice based alcoholic beverage is essential to the many traditional events in the northeastern States. Bihu, an Assamese harvest festival that honors the changing seasons, is a well-known illustration of this celebration. The farmers participate in Bihu and express gratitude to God for a bountiful harvest, which primarily serves Assam’s agricultural industry. Three separate harvest cycles are celebrated at the event, which is held three times annually.
The first one, Rongali or Bohag Bihu, which occurs in April and celebrates the Assamese New Year, is the most significant of the three. The second celebration, Kongali or Kati Bihu, is in October, while the third festival, Bhogali or Magh Bihu, happens in January. The agricultural community celebrates by manufacturing traditional rice based alcoholic beverage enjoying it with others while participating in or enjoying the celebrations, praying, caring for their animals, singing and dancing performances, and numerous other sporting activities.
Readers should note that traditional alcoholic beverages made from rice or other comparable foods are found in India and other countries in various forms. Conventional alcoholic beverages like Saki from Japan, Yakju from Korea, Sato from Thailand, and Fenny from Goa are commercially successful examples. These goods are not only bringing in money but also establishing a farm’s cultural position in terms of tourism. Keeping this in mind, efforts have been undertaken to bring Xaj Pani into commercial production to generate employment, and promote this traditional Assamese beverage on a global scale and support the state’s tourist industry.
