Judima is a traditional ethnic
rice wine
Rice wine is an alcoholic beverage fermentation, fermented from rice, traditionally consumed in East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia, where rice is a quintessential staple crop. Rice wine is made by the fermentation of rice starch, during wh ...
associated with the
Dimasa people
The Dimasa people or Dimasa Kachari people are an ethnolinguistic community presently inhabiting in Assam and Nagaland states in Northeastern India. They speak Dimasa, a Tibeto-Burman language. This community is fairly homogeneous and excl ...
of
Assam
Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...
.
It has received a
geographical indication
A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town or region). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, is inten ...
tag in 2021. It is prepared from a starter kit, and is distinguished by the use of a wild herb local to
Dima Hasao district called ''thembra'' (''
Senegalia pennata'').
[ It is used ritualistically by the Dimasa people in events such as birth, marriage and death.][
]
Traditional process
Judima is prepared in broadly a two-step process—the preparation of the starter cake and the use of the starter cake to ferment cooked rice.
The starter cake for Judima is called ''Humao''. It is prepared from the dried powdered ''thembra'' bark, made into a dough with rice powder and water and then air-dried.
For fermentation glutinous ''bora'' rice is used, and among its may varieties the one called ''bairing'' is preferred. The rice is boiled/steamed, and then spread to cool over banana leaves. The starter cake is crushed and mixed with the cooled rice, and then set aside in earthen vessels for three to five days (longer in the winters). At the end of this period, the liquid that is produced is strained—which is Judima.
Notes
References
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Northeast Indian cuisine
Indian alcoholic drinks
Geographical indications in Assam