Where are the Eastern Himalayas?

The Eastern Himalayas are a geographical continuum that starts at the Kali Gandaki gorge in Central Nepal and extends across parts of India, Bhutan, Myanmar, ending  in the Yunnan province of China.

Though containing significant ecological, linguistic and cultural diversity, the region nonetheless shares commonalities across food, ferments and practices.

What is Eastern Himalayan Culture focused on?

At Eastern Himalayan Cultures we experiment with, document and share fermentation practices as well as fermented foods from across the Eastern Himalayan region.

What is Tongba?

Tongba is our take on a fermented millet “beer” that is consumed across the Nepali, Indian and Bhutanese Eastern Himalayas.

Known by different names across trans-himalayan languages, it is often referred to as Tungbaa in the vernacular, after the name of the vessel it is traditionally served in.

Does it taste like beer?

The “beer” deserves to be in quotes because it is grain based and beer is the closest equivalent of commonly available beverages.

Tungbaa is quite different in flavor profile, fermentation technique and method  of enjoyment.

How is the ECH Tongba made?

Traditionally Tungbaa is made from finger millet (sometimes also called red millet) and fermented with a yeast and mold agent called maarcha.

First the millet is cooked.  Then as it cools down, maarcha is inoculated into the millet. To encourage colonization by the spores, the mix is kept warm for 24-48 hours. Finally it is put in air tight containers to finish. The finishing process can take  between a month to half a year. 

At ECH we are starting with the traditional formulation. However, we occasionally try other  grains and are also  experimenting with alternative fermentation agents like Koji.

As flavor is dependent on the fermentation agent, each batch of Tongba we make is labeled with the regional origin of the maarcha.

How does the fermentation agent, maarcha, influence the taste?

The maarcha starts its life as a flour patty with local flowers and herbs mixed in. This patty is then left in specific places in the house and barn to allow naturally occurring yeasts and molds to colonize it.

Traditional knowledge dictates which herbs and flowers are used to attract desirable microbes and inhibit undesirable ones. Thus the region, the herbs included, and even the season in which the maarcha was made impacts the flavor of the Tungbaa.

Where does ECH maarcha come from?

To date our maarcha has come from the Kathmandu Valley, eastern parts of Nepal and the Darjeeling hills in India. We are in the process of exploring fermentation agents from Bhutan and the north-eastern parts of India.

We also hope to start successful North American strains from our ongoing experiments in Colorado and Virginia.