What to Eat in Majuli Today?

The everyday meal

An Assamese thali on Majuli is light and rice-based. Khar comes first, cooked with an alkaline liquid made from burnt banana peel and usually with raw papaya or lentils. Then come dal, fried or boiled greens, and a fish curry. Masor tenga, a thin sour fish curry, uses river fish from the Brahmaputra and the island's beels. Pickles, a raw chilli and a slice of lime sit on the side.

Pitha with tea

Pitha are rice-flour cakes, made especially for Bihu. Til pitha is rolled around sesame and jaggery; ghila pitha is round and fried. You will often be offered them with tea in homestays, and they are made fresh in January for Magh Bihu.

Satra food

The satras follow strict vegetarian rules, and many do not use onion or garlic in their kitchens. Meat, fish and alcohol should not be brought onto satra grounds. If you are invited to eat at a satra, accept what is offered and eat with your right hand if others do.

Mishing village food

Mishing cooking is different from the Assamese thali. Pork, fish and chicken are common, often smoked or cooked with bamboo shoot and herbs. Rice is sometimes steamed in leaves. Apong, a rice beer brewed at home, is served at meals and festivals. It is mild but strong enough to notice; drink it responsibly and only where it is offered.

Where to try it

Most visitors eat where they stay. La Maison de Ananda in Garamur serves thalis and traveller food. The Mishing homestay kitchens around the island are the place for village cooking and apong. Small kitchens and dhabas near Kamalabari and Garamur do thalis, fish curry and pitha. The Where to Eat page has more.

A note on timing

Kitchens on Majuli close early, often by 9 pm. Tell your homestay by the afternoon if you want dinner, and mention any dietary needs.