Indian Taste & preferences

Indian biodiversity  Biodiversity hotspots  are those regions of the world that have exceptionally high number of species, but are severely threatened by human activity. India is home to four of the 36 such hotspots recognized across the world. The northeast of India is a region where two such hotspots meet: the Himalaya hotspot and the Indo-Burma hotspot. Because of the confluence of fauna and flora from different regions (peninsular India, the Himalayas, the Indo-Chinese region), the northeast of India is rich in biodiversity and the state of Manipur is no exception. India’s Biodiversity Act (2002) mandated the setting up of local committees for documenting, conserving, and managing local biodiversity across the country. These local bodies are known as Biodiversity Management Committees (BMC). BMCs create People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR), documenting all plants, animals, and their uses, as well as advice the various biodiversity boards. Phalee  is a small village wi...

“Diversity” is defined as the “condition or fact of being different or varied.”  Diversity in food then, can mean a few different things: For one, the representation of all cuisines and culture. Or, the array of nutrients needed for a full, well-rounded diet. Or, the variety of crops grown on a farm. If you’ve been following this series, The ABCs of Good Food, you might already have noticed a pattern in food rhetoric: Just like “authenticity,” “diversity” means something different to each and every person you ask, depending on what is at stake for them. For the sake of brevity, we’ll talk about the two most considered definitions, as they relate to food and how food moves culture. Diversity in diet means the year-round enjoyment of geographically varied foods.  In our current food system, this is not very difficult to do. As of 2016, over 50 percent of fruits and 30 percent of vegetables that we enjoy year round in the U.S. are imported. Hailing largely from Lat...