Apong

About Apong

• Apong is a fermented rice-based alcoholic beverage is popular among the Mishing tribe in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. 
  • It is popular in Assam as sai mod (ash liquor).
• Varieties: The Mishings prepare two types of rice-based alcoholic beverages – paro-apong (sai mod) and nogin-apong.
• How it is prepared:
  • Brewing: The brewing of the beverage begins by making apop pitha, a yeast cake. It includes 16-39 varieties of herbs, barks, plants, and twigs that are cleaned and either used fresh or sun-dried.
  • Cake making: Later, soaked rice and herbs are ground separately, mixed with water, shaped into ovoid cakes and dried in the sun.
  • Nogin-apong is made by fermenting dried boiled rice with crushed apop pitha in sealed earthen pots for 4–5 days.
    • It has a blackish to reddish-brown colour and an earthy aroma.
  • Paro-apong is prepared by mixing dried cooked rice with ash powder and apop pitha.
    • It is fermented in sealed clay pots for about 20 days and then filtered through a bamboo container lined with banana leaves.
• Alcohol content: It has 14% alcohol content.
• Flavour: It has two distinct ending notes in flavours: sweet and smoky and  fruity and nutty.
• Consumption:
  • Nogin Apong is mainly prepared for everyday consumption.
  • Po:ro Apong is prepared for special occasions.
• Cultural significance: It forms an integral part of their traditional lifestyle, rituals, and agricultural festivals.
• It is now being transformed as premium bottled drink named as Ti:Po (in Mising language means a satisfactory drink).