akhuni
{{Short description|Indian fermented soyabean}}
{{Italic title|reason=:Category:Naga words and phrases}}{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}{{Use Indian English|date=July 2018}}
{{Infobox food
| name = Axone
| name_italics = Axone
| image = Akhuni 2025.jpg
| caption =
| region = Nagaland
Kachin state
Sagaing Region
| type = Fermented soyabeans
| country = India
Myanmar
| creator = Naga people
| associated_cuisine = Naga cuisine, Kachin cuisine, Thai cuisine
| main_ingredient = Soyabean
| similar_dish = Thua nao, Kinema, Ngari, Tungrymbai, other fermented products
}}
{{Culture of the Nagas}}
Akhuni (also Axone) is a fermented soybean product commonly used in Naga cuisine of India and Myanmar.
Etymology
The word Axone is from the Naga Sümi language, and is a combination of two words. Axo means "aroma" or "smell" and ne or nhe (similar word "tho") means "deep" or "strong". So it can be literally translated as "deep smell" or "strong smell".
Consumption
File:Naga Smoked Pork with Axone (Fermented Soyabeans).jpg
It is prepared year-round from soybeans by people of all tribes, but most notably the Sümi Nagas of Nagaland. Soybeans grow at an altitude of 1,500 m and in rainy conditions, making them well suited for the Naga hills. They are also a protein-rich legume and traditionally protein-sparse diet.{{Cite journal |last=Kikon |first=Dolly |author-link=Dolly Kikon |date= |title=Fermenting Modernity: Putting Akhuni on the Nation's Table in India |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00856401.2015.1031936 |journal=South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies |language=en |publication-date=2015 |volume=38 |issue=2 |pages=320–335 |doi=10.1080/00856401.2015.1031936 |issn=0085-6401|url-access=subscription }}
Axone is prepared by rinsing picked soybeans in freshwater, and then boiling them until they are soft, but still whole. The excess water is drained and the soybeans are placed into a pot or degchi and left either out in the sun or next to the fire to let them ferment. This takes three to four days to ferment in summer and around one week in winter.{{cite web|title= The most trusted source is that of a folktale about a young lady by the name Kujunakali |url=https://ebigoe.com/the-fascinating-story-of-axone/|website=Ebigoe|date=5 January 2023|language=en}}
As with the majority of fermented products in Nagaland, it is considered to be ready when it "smells right". The soybeans are then placed in a wooden pestle and mashed with a mortar. They are not mashed completely but instead crushed as you would with garlic. A handful is then scooped up and placed in the center of a banana leaf, its edges closed to make a parcel. The package is sold or stored next to the fire and can be used immediately or kept for some weeks, darkening in color each day.
Akhuni fermentation results in proteolysis giving it a distinctive umami taste. Axone is then used in a huge variety of dishes. Two examples are fire-smoked pork and axone & nula (snails with axone).
In popular culture
A 2019 Indian Hindi/English film titled Axone, directed by Nicholas Kharkongor, deals with a day in life of a group of friends getting ready for a wedding and cooking Axone dish in a Delhi neighborhood which does not allow them to cook axone because of its strong smell.{{cite web|title= The Axone story: a film dishes out a different take on a familiar Northeastern experience |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/north-east-india/the-axone-story-a-film-dishes-out-different-take-on-a-familiar-northeastern-experience-5727543/|website=The Indian Express|date=14 May 2019|language=en}}
Similar dishes
Piak of Arunachal Pradesh, Nepali kinema, tungrymbai of Meghalaya, hawaijaar of Manipur and bekang um of Mizoram.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Portal|Food}}
- https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/axone-fermented-soybeans/
- https://web.archive.org/web/20160409184146/http://nagenvis.nic.in/Database/NagaFood_933.aspx
{{Soy}}
Category:Northeast Indian cuisine
Category:Fermented soy-based foods
{{India-cuisine-stub}}