Food, food habits, and cultural identity: A reading of select African and Northeast Indian texts

This paper explores how food and food habits serve as vital expressions of cultural identity in select African and Northeast Indian texts. Drawing on works such as Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, A Man of the People and Kire’s A Naga Village Remembered, A Terrible Matriarchy, the study examines how food practices function not merely as background detail but as central symbolic elements that reflect tradition, social structures, gender roles, and responses to colonial and postcolonial transformations.The study delves into the intricate relationships between food, food habits, culture, and identity in the select texts. It also examines how culinary traditions encode cultural values, mythologies, and histories, shaping individual and collective identities. Further, it offers valuable insights into the intricate dynamics of cultural identity within African and Northeast Indian contexts. The findings underscore the pivotal role of food in shaping cultural narratives, strengthening social connections, and safeguarding cultural heritage. This study has implications for future researchers in relation to food studies, cultural studies, and literary analysis, offering new insights into how food reflects and shapes cultural identity.