Naga rice brew or local beer has emerged as the most popular drink and a top seller at morungs during the 25th Hornbill Festival while food thalis and other food items experiencing poor sales this year.
Yimkhiung Morung: The in-charge mentioned the first day’s sales were exceptional but subsequent sales were not as expected. The standout item was a locally-made brew combining millet, maize, and job tears. He also highlighted the morung’s specialty dishes such as pork trotter with kholar which was popular and in great demand.
Khiamniungan Morung: Khiamniungan Morung witnessed good sales on December 1 and 7. The In-charge informed that the tribe’s traditional dish niamken was popular, but local beer priced at Rs 100 per mug was the top seller. He also said there were fewer local tourists this year compared to past years.
Phom Morung: While sales were decent at Phom Morung, they fell below expectations. Special cuisine Anphed priced at Rs 50 was the best seller. The In-charge said there were more local visitors this year to the morung as compared to foreign tourists.
Konyak Morung: The Konyak Morung reported average sales but experienced a good number of visitors, likely due to the presence of two living Konyak headhunters at their stall. Their best-selling items were yam served with luh-lick and mushroom chutney.
The number of visitors was high and the other attraction was a chance to fire musket gun priced at Rs 200 per shot. The morung also set up a photography corner where visitors could wear traditional attire and take pictures, alongside another area featuring the two headhunters, both of who attracted visitors.
Tikhir Morung: The in- charge reported that sales were poor and the crowd also less. He said their best-selling item among the food thalis was mithun meat priced at Rs 350. He also highlighted that sticky millet and Job’s Tears beer were popular, selling for Rs 150 per cup.
Sangtam Morung: The in-charge mentioned that sales were not satisfactory although there were more local tourists this year. Rice beer sold for Rs 150 was their best-selling item. Also smoked pork with perilla seeds and smoked pork with kholar thali priced at Rs 400 were very popular and sold well. He disclosed that sales on the first day were good, but the following days were disappointing.
Ao Morung: The in-charge reported that sales were good, and the morung witnessed a steady flow of visitors, making it challenging to accommodate everyone due to limited space. He revealed that rice beer sold at Rs 200 and Rs 150 was the best-selling item.
Among the food offerings, the anishi curry with smoked pork thali priced at Rs 450 and silk worm at Rs 200 per plate were top sellers. He also mentioned that morung experienced fewer number of local visitors compared to tourists this year.
Chang Morung: The in-charge of Chang Morung said sales were decent. The popular item sold in the morung was local rice with smoked pork and kidney beans thali priced at Rs 400/300. However the best-selling item was the millet beer at Rs 100. He also revealed a good number of tourists were visiting the morung.
Lotha Morung: On the first day, sales were encouraging, but overall turnout and sales were not good this year. However, the in-charge remained hopeful for improvement till Tuesday. He said the best-selling item was smoked pork with sesame and dry beef thali priced at Rs 400. As with other morungs, local rice beer sales, priced at Rs 100, dominated overall sales.
Sema Morung: Sema Morung did not offer any alcoholic beverages and reported that sales were not very good. The speciality was axone with smoked pork, which was among the most popular items. The morung experienced good sales on the first day, but the following days it was a bit disappointing.
Rengma Morung: The in-charge mentioned that sales were average though significantly better than last year. The best-selling item was the Job’s Tears, maize, and rice brewed beer priced at Rs 100 per cup. Also smoked pork thali priced Rs 400 sold very well . There was an increase of visiting tourists as compared to local tourists this year.
Chakhesang Morung: Sales were average, though pork with snail thali priced at Rs 400 did exceptionally well. The morung experienced more visitors. Though no local alcohol was sold, maize tea and Jobs Tears sold at Rs 50 each were popular.
Angami Morung: The person in-charge reported good sales on the first day, but the following days were just average . On the first day the renowned rice beer priced Rs 200 per mug was in demand. The morung also attracted more tourists by offering free local traditional snacks. The best-selling thali was the snail with pork sold at Rs 350.
Pochury Mornung: The sales was good on the first one or two days but later decreased. Despite this, the over regular customers who visited the morung was notable. Many past visitors mentioned that the dishes offered at the morung were appealing and generously portioned.
The best-selling item was the tizu fish thali, which included several side dishes, and was priced Rs 600. Their locally-brewed beer Ajiju made of sticky rice priced Rs 300 per cup was the top seller. The beer often witnessed complete sell-out as it was sourced from a village and not easily produced. They noted a higher number of tourist visitors at the morung compared to locals.
Zeliang Morung: The in-charge indicated that sales were good, with the sticky rice beer priced Rs 300 being the top seller. He said snail, the tribe’s traditional ethnic food sold at Rs 300, was popular. Overall, he mentioned that while sales were decent, these were not exceptional.
Kuki Morung: The morung offered only fast food stalls, with chicken BBQ at Rs 100 being the best seller, and the in-charge expressed satisfaction with the sales. The morung did not sell any locally-brewed beer or alcohol. Sales were deemed unsatisfactory, as significant time and money were invested. The in-charge elaborated, “It’s not like a business. The main reason we’re here is to prevent our morung from looking deserted.”
Garo Morung: The in-charge indicated that sales were disappointing. The standout items were rice beer priced Rs 200, and silkworm sold at Rs 150 per stick. He said there were more local tourists this year, but sale of thalis priced Rs 350 with various side dishes was not good.
Kachari Morung: The in-charge said the sales were average, witnessing strong sales only on Sundays, with sticky rice beer being the best-selling item. Also silkworm priced Rs 100 per stick sold exceptionally well, along with duck thali priced Rs 370, which sold reasonably well.