Chinzak Fest to tickle the palate of foodies kicks off
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, December 13 2015:
Adding a culinary flavour to the Christmas season, 'Chinzak Festival Merry Christmas 2015' was opened today at Hapta Kangjeibung much to the delight of foodies and gourmets alike.
Around 40 stalls have been offering hot and delicious cuisines of different varieties to beat the winter chill.
Traditional cuisines of different communities which are otherwise not available readily at hotels and restaurants are also sold at the festival.
MLA Dr I Ibohalbi, Prof Dr Chinglen Maisnam of Manipur University and ex-Principal of Don Bosco School, Chingmeirong Francis SDB attended the opening function as chief guest, president and guest of honour respectively.
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Speaking at the opening function, Dr Ibohalbi remarked that one can get a fair idea of the different traditional cuisines and delicacies enjoyed by different communities as many communities of both the hills and the valley are participating in the festival.
One can also gather valuable knowledge about the food habits of different communities from the festival.
Expressing keen desire to organise such festival in a more comprehensive manner every year, Dr Ibohalbi stated that the festival can be used as a tool for promoting tourism industry in the State.
He, however, lamented that many delicacies enjoyed by different communities in the olden days have now disappeared.
"There is a growing need to preserve all such delicacies which were once favourite cuisines of our forefathers", he continued.
By opening stalls which are exclusively dedicated to organic food produces, the festival has become a medium of spreading awareness about organic farming.
All the participants of the festival should understand the underlying larger objective of the festival rather than focusing on earning profits only.
Khuraijam Athouba, the festival's managing director said that this is the sixth edition of Chinzak Festival.
The festival is a part of the efforts to preserve indigenous and traditional cuisines of different communities of Manipur.
For almost 10 days, a research was done on the different varieties of cuisines enjoyed by different communities.
In the process, it was discovered that there are/were more than 160 different indigenous cuisines.
But many of them have been slowly disappearing while some others are totally unknown to the younger generations, Athouba said.
The growing fad for imported or packaged food items at the cost of indigenous food items would cost the indigenous people in the long run, he added.
The Indigenous Fish Farmers of the Year Award was conferred to S Tomba & Sons Fish Farm proprietor S Tomba during the opening function of the festival which would continue till December 20 .