Tasting the Past: Culinary Heritage and Memory in the Preservation of Intangible Culture among the Diaspora Meiteis of Assam

Abstract (English)

Food is more than sustenance; it is a vessel of memory, identity, and heritage. This paper explores how traditional culinary practices serve as a vital expression of intangible cultural heritage within diasporic communities. Focusing on the Meitei diaspora in Assam, India, this study examines food's role in preserving memory collection and transmitting cultural knowledge across generations. It investigates how recipes, cooking rituals, and communal eating practices become symbols of resistance, adaptation, and cultural continuity in the face of migration and globalization. Thus, through a qualitative method of inquiry, interviews were conducted and recipe documentation among 30 households in Manipuri Basti, which is at Kamrup Metro district and Gauranagar area in Hojai, Assam, to contextualise the social meaning of food practices within broader themes of identity, memory, and cultural resilience. Findings reveal that traditional cuisines are a mnemonic device connecting community members to their ancestral roots. Cultural hybridity and conventional food adaptation have been found to suit local palates and market demands, leading to both preservation and transformation of heritage.