High in the misty hills of north-east India, the Lotha Naga people celebrate Tokhü Emong, a harvest festival of gratitude, generosity, and good food. It’s that rare kind of festival where the world slows down — where work halts, doors open wide, and the whole village gathers to share what the land has given.
Each home cooks and brews what they have — smoked pork, sticky rice, bamboo shoot curries, and millet beer — all offered freely. Friends exchange portions of meat to mark the bond between them: six pieces for friendship, twelve for kinship that runs deep. Around every hearth, laughter rises with the smoke, and drums roll through the valleys, echoing that sense of belonging that food so often carries.
Tokhü Emong reminds us that the act of eating together isn’t just sustenance — it’s a ceremony of connection. It’s about giving thanks for harvest, for rain, and for one another. As the nights draw in, these communal feasts mirror the warmth we all seek — a table full of spice, story, and soul.
I started this business with Naga Chilli and some packaging, seems to be fitting to come full circle back to a special area of the world
Enjoy all this week (wished we had Nagaland weather!) Steve and the Spice Team