Empowering Women, Celebrating Local Cuisine

Local Meghalayan women lead Mei-Ramew Cafés in championing local cuisines and innovation in recipes. These cafes prioritize the use of locally available ingredients and showcase the state’s traditional foods. The concept of Mei-Ramew, meaning ‘Mother Earth’ in the Khasi language, emphasizes the protection of nature to sustain nourishment.

The North East Slow Food & Agrobiodiversity Society (NESFAS) promotes these cafes to support entrepreneurship, improve livelihoods, and boost the rural economy. The indigenous cafe model has the potential to be a profitable business as people increasingly explore different cuisines. In Khweng village, Kong Plantina Kharmujai and Kong Dial operate Mei-Ramew cafes, serving traditional Bhoi-Khasi cuisines. They prepare dishes like khaw saw (red Khasi rice), doh syiar tyndong and doh sniang tyndong (chicken and pork cooked in bamboo tubes), Ja syrtah (rice cooked in chicken broth), pumpkin curry, banana flower salad, and bamboo steamed paddy fish. Traditional cooking techniques, such as using bamboo tubes, are employed, minimizing waste.

Mei-Ramew initiatives include a monthly farmers’ market and an annual food festival to promote indigenous food systems and showcase regional food cultures.
-Re-reported from the article originally published in India Times.