Sept. 9: After decorating your house with fashionable bamboo furniture, it’s time to enjoy a delectable array of dishes made of bamboo shoot. To enjoy this and much more, the city descended on the Assam Engineering Institute Ground, Chandmari, where Enterprise North East, 2005, a business exposition, is currently under way.

Bamboo Flavours, a food stall from Kohima, is offering a range of mouth-watering Naga dishes, exclusively prepared with bamboo shoot and rare herbs. The aim is to introduce food connoisseurs to delicacies made of bamboo shoot, and to make it a part of everyday diet. Bamboo not only enhances the appetite, but also has many medicinal values.

The fair has been organised by the Confederation of Indian Industries.

Besides tasting the special Naga dishes, one could also try the pickles and chutneys made from bamboo shoot.

A total of 14 most popular Naga delicacies are available at the stall. The menu boasts a wide variety of fish dishes. From otgo-han, to mato, to the traditional Naga fish curry pongsen, there is plenty to satisfy those who swear by fish preparations.

“Items treated with bamboo shoot have been the traditional cuisine of Nagaland, though over the years several improvisations have been carried out,” said an official. He said the exposition had decided to promote Naga dishes, as special fermented bamboo shoot was used for cooking. He rued that because of lack of proper marketing, bamboo shoot has not been able to make an impact as a food product in the national and international market.

“Bamboo shoots help in digestion,” said Chukie Medom, the stall owner. “We have also used several other green herbs and leaves in our dishes.”

Some of the other popular herbs and leaves used in local Naga dishes are mejinga and gajo, both are green leaves, found only at high altitudes.

This is the first time that a food stall dedicated solely to Naga dishes has been set up at a business fair. As the response has been positive,organisers are planning to host similar bamboo food festivals in different parts of the region.

“We are planning to organise similar food festivals in other parts of the region with the assistance of some local restaurants in Nagaland,” said Medom.

A variety of fruit juices were also available at the stall. “The flavour of bamboo is unique, and I have come to the fest to try out some of the dishes made with bamboo shoot. I love trying out different sorts of dishes and wouldn’t have missed this opportunity for anything,” said Rita Gogoi, a schoolteacher. “Nagas have their unique way of blending bamboo shoot with the food, as do the Assamese and others. But all of them taste divine.”