The Taste of Travel: Mui Borok, Tripura's kitchen

The traditional food of the Tripuri, or Borok, people is called Mui Borok. Its signature ingredient is berma, a dried and fermented fish, which is cooked with vegetables and little or no oil; it is salty, pungent and spicy. Bamboo shoot is another staple, and the cuisine is shaped by local herbs, forest vegetables and fish.

Among the dishes described in published sources: chakhwi, a curry traditionally cooked in a bamboo vessel over hot coals; wahan mosdeng, a pork dish with ground chilli, called a bharta, salad or chutney depending on who is telling; and mosdeng serma, a tangy chutney made with berma, garlic and green chilli. Bengali influence is strong in the wider food culture of the state.

Where to try it: Agartala's restaurants and festival stalls. Ask for the dish name and what it is made of. If you are vegetarian, say so at the start; many traditional dishes rely on fish or pork, and a good host can usually cook vegetables and rice.