Jou: the traditional drink of the Boro tribe of Assam and North East India

Jou is an integral part of the socio-cultural life of the Boros. The Boro has an old age tradition of preparing Jou from fermented cooked rice (jumai) with locally prepared yeast cake called Amao. Jou is traditionally used in marriage, worship and in all social occasions and it is of three kinds Jou- bidwi, finai and gwran (distilled alcohol from jumai). Amao is traditionally prepared from seven plants species- Oryza sativa L., Scoparia dulcis L., Musa paradisiaca, Artocarpus heterophyllus Lamk., Ananas comosus (L). Merr., Clerodendron infortunetum L., Plumbago zeylancia L. Boro, an ethnic tribe in Kokrajhar district of Assam state, Northeast India is the material of the present study where elderly men and women were exclusively selected for the interview. The research included participatory approach of unstructured and semi-structured interviews and group discussions. The paper describes indigenous methods of preparation of Amao and harvesting of Jou. The used of different components as distilling unit for obtaining alcohol have also been emphasized. Present study has established Amao as a potential source of yeast medium used for fermenting rice and preparing Jou. Besides commercial exploitation of these plants as yeast media may be explored and encourage.