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Sauces and condiments from Nagaland, India

Banstangapani (fermented bamboo-shoot liquid, Nagaland)bastangapani

In Nagaland a sour liquid is drawn from fermented bamboo shoots and called banstangapani. It is packed in plastic bottles and sold in local markets, and a few drops season Naga curries. Studies of fermented bamboo shoots name lactic acid bacteria as the main microbes.

A short entry: the sources we found record only what is said here about Banstangapani itself.

Short entrySauces and condiments

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedTraditional by-product with no fixed amounts.
Tender bamboo shoots, fermentedThe liquid is a by-product of the shoot ferment[nongdam2015]
Starterspontaneous
Start
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shapes, not to countLactic acid bacteriaSugarsLactic acid

What changes: Lactic bacteria sour the bamboo shoots and a sour liquid gathers

Step 1 of 3
Ferment tender bamboo shoots
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria

Output: fermented shoots, with sour liquid collecting.

Flavour
sour
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

lactic acid bacteria are the main microbes in fermented bamboo shoots (Nongdam 2015)

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

In Nagaland a sour liquid is drawn from fermented bamboo shoots and called banstangapani. It is packed in plastic bottles and sold in local markets, and a few drops season Naga curries. Studies of fermented bamboo shoots name lactic acid bacteria as the main microbes. Lactiplantibacillus, 37.6 % of the community in fermented bastenga shoots from Nagaland and Lactic acid bacteria in fermented bamboo shoots of North-East India do most of the fermenting.

What makes this one different

Most bamboo-shoot ferments are eaten as the shoots. Banstangapani is the liquid drained from them and used as a condiment, like soijim in Manipur and eku in Arunachal Pradesh.

Related ferments

Safety

Fresh bamboo shoots contain cyanogenic glycosides that can release hydrogen cyanide, and FSANZ says they must be sliced and boiled to make them safe. No source read measures cyanide in this liquid or says the shoots are boiled first.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

  1. [nongdam2015] Nongdam P. 2015, Traditional fermented bamboo shoot foods of North-East India and their characteristic natural microbial flora, 10th World Bamboo Congress, Koreapaper
  2. [fsanz-cassava] Food Standards Australia New Zealand, Cassava and bamboo shoots (consumer advice)gov
  3. [das2026] Das R., Kumar R., Tamang B. 2026, Microbial community structure, functional potential, probiotic signatures, and MAG reconstruction of fermented bamboo shoots from Northeast India, FEMS Microbes, doi:10.1093/femsmc/xtag032paper