Northeast Indian grocery stores bring a taste of home to Chennai
Northeast Indian grocery stores are becoming increasingly popular in Chennai, providing authentic regional produce to the local northeastern diaspora and curious residents. These small businesses serve as cultural hubs that help maintain a sense of home for migrants.
Why it matters
The growth of these stores illustrates the cultural integration and economic impact of internal migration within India, fostering diversity in urban food landscapes.
When Kashing Peter from Nagaland opened Northeast Vegetable Store in 2018, he had two dreams. He wanted to help the northeastern community in Chennai feel closer to home and open a window for locals into the region’s flavours.
Tucked away in a multi-storeyed commercial building on busy Nelson Manickam Road, this convenience store may look unassuming, but inside the racks are stacked with produce that you will struggle to find in conventional grocery stores, including baby pumpkins, fresh mustard leaves, and dried fish. With barely enough room for two people to stand inside, customers often spill out onto the road.
Over the past few years a number of such stores has mushroomed in the city, catering not just to the population from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland , Tripura, and Sikkim but also to locals who like to experiment.
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