Any Naga feast without pork is incomplete and the demand for it only sees an upswing every year, especially during the month of December and January. According to one butcher, nearly 300 hundred pigs were slaughtered in Dimapur alone for the month of December 2009 and first week of January 2010. Interestingly, these are only the supply pigs each weighing approximately 90 kgs each while most of the pigs butchered during this season are the ones domesticated at homes. From this rough estimated figure, one can only gauge how much money is spend by our people for buying pork in Dimapur alone. Another economic factor to be taken into account is that most of pigs are imported from other states which reflect a situation whereby only a fraction of the market demand is supplied locally during the ‘lean’ season from February till November.
Come Thursday, even the weekly market in the nearby Khatkhati town is swarmed with Naga’s vying for the best portion of the pork. It is also a point to ponder whether the pork of Assam is tastier or it’s the price factor, which many vouch, is quite reasonable. Some of the old customers of this weekly market however laments that the price have skyrocketed seeing the rush of Naga people. “The prices of the pork have shot up from Rs 80 a kilo to 100 rupees. Even the cost of the piglets has gone up with little or no bargain” adds one.
While all these above points are from the economic point of view, for all those health conscious ones, it has been a complete ‘No’, with high level of cholesterol and fat being the deterrent. Pork is a good source of Protein, Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Selenium, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B12, Phosphorus and Zinc.
Preparation Serving Size Carbs Fiber (g) Fat (g) Energy (kj)
Bacon – grilled 1 Rasher (34g) 0 0 1.5 200
Chinese-style – barbecued 100g 3.5 3 15 980
Belly – untrimmed, grilled 100g 0 0 22 1250
Butterfly Steak – lean, grilled 100g 0 0 4.5 675
Butterfly Steak – untrimmed, grilled 100g 0 0 17.5 1090
Crackling 30g 0 0 9 610
Pork Fillet – lean, baked 100g 0 0 5 710
Forequarter chop – lean, grilled 1 (95g) 0 0 7.5 720
Forequarter chop – untrimmed, grilled 1 (100g) 0 0 28.5 1440
Leg – lean, roasted 2 slices (95g) 0 0 4 685
Leg – with fat, roasted 2 slices (100g) 0 0 26.5 1420
Leg Schnitzel – lean, grilled 1 (100g) 0 0 3.5 655
Leg Schnitzel – untrimmed, grilled 1 (100g) 0 0 6 720
Loin Chop – lean, grilled 1 (100g) 0 0 5.5 730
Loin Chop – untrimmed, grilled 1 (100g) 0 0 30 1520
Medallion Steak – lean, grilled 1 small (100g) 0 0 5.5 785
Medallion Steak – untrimmed, grilled 1 small (100g) 0 0 22.5 1290
Pork Spare Ribs 100g 0 0 10 480
But whatever be the health consequences be, the saga of Naga people with the pork will always continue.