Northeast India is home to one of the most distinctive and underappreciated food cultures in the country. Eight states. Dozens of communities. Centuries of culinary tradition built on fermentation, wood smoking, and some of the world's most extraordinary chillies.At the heart of it all: pickles and spices that taste like nothing else in Indian cooking.
This is your complete guide to Northeast Indian pickles and spices — what they are, where they come from, and how to use them.
The Pickle Tradition of Northeast IndiaIn most of India, pickling means oil, salt, and spice. In the Northeast, the tradition runs much deeper — and much more diverse.
Fermentation is the foundation. Communities across Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Assam and beyond have developed fermented foods over centuries — fermenting soybeans, fish, bamboo shoots and more into deeply flavoured preserves that form the backbone of everyday cooking.Smoking is equally central, particularly in Meghalaya and Nagaland. Pork smoked slowly over wood fire. Dry fish smoked and preserved. Meats that carry a smokiness no store-bought product can replicate.And then there are the chillies — among the hottest in the world, and integral to nearly every pickle and condiment in the region.
The Essential Northeast PicklesAxone Pickle (Fermented Soybean Pickle) Axone — known as akhuni in Nagaland and tungrymbai in Meghalaya — is fermented soybean. It has a strong, pungent aroma that is immediately recognisable to anyone from the Northeast and completely unfamiliar to everyone else. The flavour, however, is extraordinary — deep, savoury, umami-rich. Used as a condiment, a cooking ingredient, and a pickle.Best with: plain rice, pork dishes, simple dal
Bamboo Shoot Pickle Tender bamboo shoots fermented and preserved into a tangy, crunchy pickle. One of the most widely eaten pickles across the Northeast — from Assam to Nagaland to Meghalaya. Slightly sour, earthy, and addictive alongside rice.Best with: rice, grilled meats, fish curries
Dry Fish Pickle Preserved dry fish, spiced and pickled in the Northeast style. A flavour that is deeply familiar to coastal and riverine communities across the region. Intensely savoury, slightly smoky, and extraordinarily good alongside a simple meal of rice and dal.Best with: rice, khichdi, roti
Pork Pickle Pork is central to the food culture of much of the Northeast — particularly in Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram. Pork pickle takes that tradition and concentrates it into a ready-to-eat condiment. Rich, smoky, and deeply satisfying.Best with: rice, roti, alongside any simple meal
Chicken Pickle Spiced, slow-cooked chicken preserved in oil and spice in the Northeast style. Milder than pork pickle, equally versatile. A popular choice for those trying Northeast non-veg pickles for the first time.Best with: roti, rice, bread
King Chilli Pickle (Raja Mirchi) Made from the Bhut Jolokia — once the world's hottest chilli — king chilli pickle is not for the faint-hearted. The heat is intense and builds slowly. The flavour underneath the heat is fruity, complex, and completely unlike any regular chilli pickle.Best with: anything that needs heat
Dalle Khursani Pickle Dalle khursani — the round red chilli of Sikkim and the Northeast — makes for one of the most intensely flavoured chilli pickles in India. Extremely hot, with a bright, fruity heat that lingers.Best with: momos, rice, noodles
Tree Tomato Pickle Tree tomato — tamarillo — is a fruit widely grown in the hills of Meghalaya and Nagaland. Its pickle is tangy, slightly sweet, and beautifully balanced. One of the more unusual and conversation-starting Northeast pickles.Best with: rice, fish, grilled meats
The Essential Northeast Spices and Cooking Ingredients
Fermented Soybeans (Axone/Tungrymbai) More than just a pickle — fermented soybeans are a foundational cooking ingredient across the Northeast. Added to curries, stews and stir-fries, they bring a depth of flavour that is impossible to replicate with anything else.
Dry King Chilli Dried and preserved bhut jolokia. Adds intense heat and a distinctive smoky, fruity flavour to cooking. Use sparingly — this is genuinely one of the hottest chillies in the world.
Sichuan Pepper (Tirphal) Used widely in Manipuri and other Northeast cooking, Sichuan pepper brings a unique numbing, citrusy quality to dishes. Not hot in the conventional sense — more of a tingle that makes everything taste brighter.
Bamboo Shoot Fresh bamboo shoot, fermented bamboo shoot, and dried bamboo shoot are all used extensively in Northeast cooking. Each has a different flavour profile — fresh is mild and earthy, fermented is tangy and pungent, dried is concentrated and intense.
How to Use Northeast Pickles and Spices
The simplest and most authentic way: alongside plain rice.A bowl of hot rice, a spoonful of axone pickle or pork pickle, nothing else — this is how much of Northeast India eats every day. The pickle is not a condiment in the Western sense. It is part of the meal.Beyond that, Northeast pickles and cooking ingredients work beautifully:Stirred into dal for depth and heat Alongside roti or paratha as an accompaniment Mixed into noodles or fried rice As a marinade base for grilled meats As a cooking ingredient in curries and stews
Explore our full range of authentic Northeast Indian pickles and spices at thenortheaststore.com — sourced directly from producers across Meghalaya, Nagaland, Assam and beyond, and delivered fresh across India.