New Delhi, Feb. 15 -- Dimapur/New Delhi: Sanulu Lohe shaped and styled nails for a living at a posh hotel in the heart of New Delhi for six years before she decided she had had enough. The job paid her a decent salary. However, Lohe-who grew up in hilly Kohima-wanted to "be her own boss" and, more importantly, eat whatever she wanted for lunch without her colleagues wrinkling their noses and commenting: "What are you eating? Why is it so smelly?"

Lohe belongs to the Chakesang tribe, one of the many ethnic groups that make up the Naga tribe spread across Nagaland, Manipur, and parts of Myanmar. The Nagas are furiously proud of their unique culinary tradition comprising diverse meats, foraged greens and an array of fermented condiments dis...