Nutritional content evaluation of traditional recipes consumed by ethnic communities of Meghalaya, India

Abstract

In the present investigation, various traditional foods consumed by the ethnic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Khasi</i> tribe of Meghalaya, India were sampled, standardized and evaluated for their nutritional contents. This food comprised of the main lunch or dinner dishes, and side dishes consumed with the meals, and also the food items taken as snacks. A total of 80 different most preferred recipes of vegetarian and non-vegetarian types were selected and standardized. A panel of 10 local women evaluated the recipes for sensory acceptance. The nutritive values of the standardized recipes were calculated for one portion size meal for all the major and micronutrients like protein, fat, carbohydrate, fibre, calcium, iron, vitamin C, carotene and calories. The nutritive values also incorporate the nutritional contributions made by wild edible fruits, berries, nuts, roots and spices, edible green leaves including <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">salad</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">chutney </i>consumed by the ethnic tribes as part of the whole meal. The findings reveal that the whole meal taken together makes a good balanced diet in the tribal food habits.