This Salt of the Earth Is Called Tapyo
But can you find it anywhere?
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This Salt of the Earth Is Called Tapyo
By Ankha Millo
The Apatanis are a non-nomadic indigenous tribe from Ziro Valley (in Arunachal Pradesh, a state in India), a remote area that became accessible to the outside world only a few decades ago. Thousands of years ago, the group’s ancestors developed an alternative to common salt, called tapyo, from herbs like sarshe (Eleusine coracana) and pepu (Phragmites karka).
Making tapyo is an elaborate process that takes days from start to finish. The plants are gathered and sun dried for a few hours before burning them to piu (ashes). The piu is collected in a conical apparatus called a sader, which has a small opening at the bottom. Water is then poured slowly in the piu, and the dark filtrate that is extracted is called the pilla.
A pan is heated on the fire and smeared with pork fat. The pilla is poured slowly on the pan until multiple layers of sediments are formed. Once the sediments solidify and become of a considerable quantity, it is all transferred from the pan. This solid substance is tapyo, which is then wrapped in the leaves and kept to cool. There is ample care taken even in the storage of tapyo: very dry air will leave it powdery; when exposed to moisture it becomes gooey. A good tapyo has a distinct flavor of bitter and sour. Not everyone is gifted with the tools to make good tapyo, as the local saying goes.
The best way to serve tapyo is in combination with the local rice and millet brew called “O.” In spring feasts like Myoko, tapyo is offered to guests and friends as a gesture of friendship. The elders will ceremoniously share the legend of the inseparable lovers O and his girlfriend Tapyo.
The traditional salt has piqued the curiosity of anthropologists and gastro enthusiasts across the world, as it is a singular product. The us of tapyo is known to be the main reason Apatanis are unaffected by goiter, which was common to neighboring tribes. Tapyo is an irreplaceable ingredient for traditional dishes like pikey pila.
In the present, this age-old knowledge of tapyo is a prized heritage of the Apatanis, and unlike so many heritage products around the world, this one is as popular as it ever was. 🇮🇳
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