Assam has entered the year 2025 with a bang as this state ranks fourth on the New York Times' illustrious list of "52 Places to Visit in 2025." The recognition illustrates that Assam truly is a treasure of nature culture and history which could be a gateway to Northeast India.
The state is famous mostly for its world-famous tea gardens and the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Charaideu Moidams, which are also known as the Pyramids of Assam. These places show a glorious glimpse of the royal legacy of the Ahom dynasty, where visitors could also visit Kaziranga National Park, which is home to the endangered one-horned rhinoceros.
Assam is better prepared to invite world travellers than ever, with improved infrastructure and a much bigger airport in Guwahati. The enchanting state shines on global grounds where its irreplaceable culinary heritage, all its characteristic dishes such as Khar, and pitha, make it mouthwateringly irresistible.
1. Khar:
Khar is the most signature Assamese dish which is prominent because of its peculiar way of preparation coupled with health benefits. It is made by filtering water through the ashes of sun-dried banana peel and eaten raw with papaya, pulses, vegetables or fish. It has a rather mildly alkaline and earthy taste signifying the diversity of Assamese cuisine.
2. Masor Tenga:
Masor Tenga is a spicy fish curry, which is mostly prepared and eaten by Assamese people as it maintains a simple and slightly sour broth with the flavour of ingredients such as tomatoes, lemon, or mangosteen, along with steamed rice. During summer especially, the dish's refreshing effect makes it delicate. It truly is one of the many versatile preparations of Assam and one of the most popular dishes in the Assamese cuisine line-up.
3. Aloo Pitika:
Aloo Pitika, or mashed potatoes according to Assam, is among the most comforting dishes known for its in-your-face flavour profiles. It is flavoured with raw onions, mustard oil, and green chilies, almost redefining itself each time by garnishing it with cilantro or boiled eggs. This simple yet tasteful affair captures the homely touch of an Assamese kitchen and is mostly eaten as a rice side dish.
4. Luchi:
This fried bread is a common dish cooked in kitchens across Assam, though Luchi is best known as a staple of Bengali, Assamese and even Oriya cuisine. Punj kachoris deep fry, they served puffed up with flavourful curries and pickles.
5. Pitha:
Being one of the major snacks during the celebration of Magh Bihu, it also takes place in regular forms of household consumption, where it finds a perfect match with tea. While there are various forms of it, however, Assamese pithas tend to be made of specific glutinous rice known as bora saul, or xaali saul, or sun-dried rice. Coconut and jaggery are the most popular within the stuffing for sweet and sour, steamed, fried or barbequed inside hollow bamboo stems.