A Rare Encounter

In 2011, one of the University of Gastronomic Sciences (UNISG) international study trips took students to the forests of Meghalaya in the north east of India to experience the ancient culture of the Indigenous Khasi people. The students decided to share their remarkable journey by making a short documentary that reveals the age-old food traditions and welcoming communities of this remote region.

“Communities here are striving to maintain their traditions in a world where ‘development’ has let many of us forget our origins, said Antonio Balassone, UNISG student and creator of the documentary. “As they welcomed us, we discovered their culture and food traditions, their knowledge of local plants for medicine and food, and their strong identity and pride. We also saw how even in a place as remote as this, in the smallest and most isolated villages, globalization is encroaching. In one of the villages we visited, the Khasi people asked us not to forget them, to spread the word and raise awareness of their existence. Sharing this film with the world is our first step in keeping this promise.”

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Watch the film here: