Year: 2018 | Month: December | Volume 8 | Issue 2
Indigenous Fermented Food Products of Eastern and Western Himalayan Region: A review
Abstract:
The Indian Himalayan Region includes six Indian states from Jammu and Kashmir to Uttarakhand in the Western Himalayas and Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and parts of west Bengal in the Eastern. Due to diverse agroclimatic conditions in these regions, various indigenous fermented foods are prepared. These traditionally prepared fermented foods have been consumed through ancient times. The fermented foods prepared in these regions enrich human diets through development of diverse flavours, aromas and textures in these foods. The fermentation carried out in these products enriches the food substrate with proteins, essential amino acids, essential fatty acids and vitamins. These products also serve as a source of income to the local people and its maximum consumption is considered to be good for health and acts as a remedy for various ailments. In different regions various substrates ranging from cereals, soyabeans, vegetables, meat, fish, bamboo shoots, milk etc are used for the development of traditional fermented foods. The people in these areas also have their traditional starter cultures for the fermentation of raw material. Hence, in the present review different fermented products along with their production technology and starter cultures have been discussed. Further, it would would also help the researchers for future refinement of the traditional technologies used by the people of these regions.
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