Sorting out small fishes for smoking, in Manipur

From the archive record

Old Manipuri sorting out fishes for dehydration and preservation Smoked fish and fermented fish is an important part of the people of Manipur. Fish are preserved through such traditional methods as drying, smoking and salting. The oldest traditional way of preserving fish was to let the wind and sun dry it. Drying food is the world's oldest known preservation method, and dried fish has a storage life of several years. The method is cheap and effective in suitable climates; the work can be done by the fisherman and family, and the resulting product is easily transported to market. Manipur (Kangleipak) is a state in northeastern India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. Its people include the Meitei, Pangal (Muslims), Naga, and Kuki, who speak different languages of branches of the Tibe