Methodology of rice beer preparation and various plant materials used in starter culture preparation by some tribal communities of North-East India: A survey

North-East India is inhabited by many indigenous tribes and as a part of their socio-cultural life most of these tribes prepare their own local brew, mostly using rice grains as the substrate. In addition each of the tribes also prepares their own unique starter cultures to carry out fermentation, and each type is a mixture of different parts of various plant species. These starter cultures in the form of cakes can be stored up to several months. The fermentation is usually carried out in earthen pots at room temperature and takes about 5-7 days for completion of the whole process of preparation. The authors visited some of the rural areas where rice beer is predominantly prepared and the process of preparation was observed and documented. The methodologies followed by the Bodo, Karbi, Ahom, Mising, Deori, Dimasa Kachari and Angami tribes of North-East India have been reported in this article. The plant species used for starter cake preparation were collected from the places visited and their taxonomical identification was carried out. This article also reflects some of the expertise of the ethnic people in maintenance of suitable conditions for microbial activities required for rice beer preparation.