Beyond momos: Meghalaya’s chefs are reclaiming the state’s culinary identity
Chef Ahmedaki Laloo, originally from Meghalaya, initially felt self-conscious about her home state's cuisine but later embraced it, establishing a culinary enterprise to promote it. She, along with other Meghalayan chefs, is now actively working to elevate and reintroduce indigenous cuisines, drawing parallels to how renowned chefs have transformed Peruvian or Italian food.
Why it matters
This article highlights a growing movement to preserve and celebrate regional culinary heritage, fostering cultural pride and potentially boosting local economies through food tourism and unique dining experiences.
When Ahmedaki Laloo was training to be a chef at Manipal University, she missed the taste of her home state, Meghalaya. “I would tell my mom to send some pickles, fermented bamboo shoots, fish chutney, and condiments,” recalls the Shillong-born chef, who was recently in Chennai, as a part of Zhouyu Hosts, a culinary pop-up series that brings chefs from across India and Asia to the city.
But, like other people from the Northeast, she often worried about what her peers would think of this food: “of people mocking us and saying that my food is stinky,” says Ahmedaki.
A meal at Rynsan in Shillong | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
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