Background and Objectives: Food is a cultural activity and in many cultures, it defines relationships and cultural identity. Meghalaya, literally meaning “Abode ofclouds” is one of the seven sisters’ states of the North eastern region of India and is a home of the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo tribes. The paper aims at focusing light on the indigenous knowledge of traditional rice-based snacks of the Khasis and theobjectives of the study is to observe the processing methods, document the standardized recipe of the selected snacks and study their physical characteristics and proximate composition.
Methods: Production of “Ki Kpu” (a general terminology in Khasi dialect) is carried out only in the small cottage industries. Three industries were randomly chosen and visited for observation of the preparation process and interviewed the proprietors on the details of the industry.
Results: Putharo, Pumaloi, Pukhlien and Pusla are the commonly consumed traditional snacks. The diameter and calorie contribution of these recipes were found to be in the range of 9-9.5cm, 5-5.5cm, 5-5.5cm, 13-13.5cm and 408kcal/g, 407kcal/g, 494kcal/g and 402kcal/g respectively.
Interpretation and Conclusion: The processing of these snacks and associated dynamics are passed on from generation to generation. The mushrooming of fast food culture has taken the limelight and these recipes are losing its sheen to it but those who have roots in the villages or otherwise, still relish the traditional recipes. Hence documentation is important so that the traditional food knowledge systems can be preserved for future generations.
