Most tribal
communities have their own form of liquor. It’s usually rice based and is referred
to as rice beer in most places.
The Garo’s
version is called BITCHI. The liquor is made from a combination of sticky and
everyday/normal rice that’s left to ferment. The rice is placed in an earthen
pot with a bamboo filter in the centre to collect the fermented liquor. This
concentrated undiluted liquor is called bitchi or rice wine. After the bitchi
is collected, water is added to the remaining contents in the earthen pot which
thus gives rice beer or dika (this is what I’ve been told so do correct me if
I’m wrong).
Friends who are
regular drinkers of bitchi/dika have mentioned that one does not feel the
alcohol’s impact when drinking it but the hangovers are pretty bad. So ‘dearies’,
kindly drink with caution.
Where to get bitchi? There is no proper store from where one can get this
local liquor, but residents of Tura usually go to the outskirts, to nearby
villages to get them. And though I’m tempted to mention a few places I think I’ll
refrain this time around as I don’t want to be pelted with pebbles from
righteous teetotallers … ;-) (with due respect to them).
Another fun
aspect of going bitchi hunting is that you get to meet really nice, warm and humble
people from the village and you get to see their somewhat traditional kitchen.
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