Field Guides to Food

Fermenting Rice

The purposes of fermenting rice in the Tharu culture are several fold: (1) it is the celebration of the harvest (2) it is part of many social and cultural events such as weddings, death in the family, religious holidays (3) it is a way to preserve grains especially the variety of rice that is less appealing when steamed.
Most Tharus don't buy alcohol from a store but rather use fermented rice instead. All the ingredients in fermentation are locally available including the yeast, which is root from a wild plant.

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