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Fish and seafood from India

Tungtaptungtap

Tungtap is a fermented fish of Meghalaya made from small Puntius or Danio fish. The fish are salted, mixed with fish fat and packed into earthen pots, which are sealed and left at room temperature for three to six months.

Fully documentedFish and seafood3 months – 6 months

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe tradition has no fixed recipe. The only amount in the sources is the 1:10 salt ratio from a 2026 review.
Small Puntius or Danio fish, washed and driedNot given[rapsang2012][khongthaw2026]
Salt1 part to 10 parts fishThe 2026 review gives a 1:10 salt ratio[khongthaw2026]
Fish fatNot given[rapsang2012]

Total time across the recorded steps: 3 months – 6 months

Start
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What changes: The washed fish dry and lose water before salting

Step 1 of 4
Wash the fish and dry them
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria
Bacillus
Micrococcus
Candida

The 2026 review says the fish are left overnight to lose moisture; its table gives 3–4 days of drying. Wikipedia describes the fish as sun-dried. Output: washed, drier fish.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

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

Tungtap is a fermented fish of Meghalaya made from small Puntius or Danio fish. The fish are salted, mixed with fish fat and packed into earthen pots, which are sealed and left at room temperature for three to six months. Made in 4 steps over 3 months – 6 months. The longest step, ferment at room temperature, takes 3–6 months (Rapsang G.F. and Joshi S.R. 2012). Salt is 10 % (Khongthaw B 2026). Lactobacillus sp., Enterococcus faecalis and other Enterococcus, Streptococcus sp. and Micrococcus sp. and Yeasts of the genera Candida and Saccharomycopsis do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step3–6 monthsReported[rapsang2012][khongthaw2026]Ferment at room temperature
Salt10 %Reported[khongthaw2026]Salt the fish and mix in fish fat

What makes this one different

Tungtap is a salted fish ferment with fish fat worked in, sealed in earthen pots for months. Ngari, from neighbouring Manipur, is made from sun-dried Puntius with no salt.

Protein
40.6 g per 100 g dry matter
Calcium
5040 mg per 100 g dry matter

Related ferments

Safety

Botulism is the serious hazard of fish sealed in a pot at room temperature for months, and no study we found tested tungtap for it. For shelf-stable salted fish, US FDA guidance asks for at least 20 % water-phase salt, a pH of 4.6 or below, or a water activity of 0.85 or below. We found no measurement showing that tungtap reaches any of these. This page records a tradition. It is not a tested home recipe, so do not make it at home. Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus have been isolated from tungtap. The study gives no pH or salt figure for the finished product.

Hazards the sources name: Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus.

History and sources

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

Made and eaten by the Khasi tribes of Meghalaya; Wikipedia also names the Garo.

Starter
The sources we found do not say how its fermentation begins.
  1. [rapsang2012] Rapsang G.F. and Joshi S.R. 2012, Bacterial diversity associated with tungtap, an ethnic traditionally fermented fish product of Meghalaya, Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge 11(1), 134–138 (abstract, from the NEHU repository)paper
  2. [khongthaw2026] Khongthaw B., Dladla M., Chauhan P.K., Dulta K. et al. 2026, Fermented fish products, a comprehensive overview of traditional processing techniques, varieties, and their health benefits, Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety 25:e70457paper
  3. [narzary2021] Narzary Y., Das S., Goyal A.K., Lam S.S. et al. 2021, Fermented fish products in South and Southeast Asian cuisine, indigenous technology processes, nutrient composition, and cultural significance, Journal of Ethnic Foods 8:33 (Table of microbes)paper
  4. [agrahar2006] Agrahar-Murugkar D. and Subbulakshmi G. 2006, Preparation techniques and nutritive value of fermented foods from the Khasi tribes of Meghalaya, Ecology of Food and Nutrition 45:27–38 (abstract)paper
  5. [fda-ch13] US FDA, Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance, chapter 13, Clostridium botulinum toxin formation (general safety text only)gov
  6. [wiki-tungtap] Wikipedia, Tungtap (outline only)wiki