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Fermentation Atlas

Soy and legumes from Manipur, India

Hawaijarꯍꯋꯥꯏꯖꯥꯔ

sticky whole beans, max 7 days unrefrigerated [T2015]; eaten raw as relish, in chagempomba curry, or with vegetables. Made in 4 steps over 5.1 days – 8.1 days. The longest step, pack in leaf-lined lidded bamboo basket, keep near kitchen hearth, takes 3–5 days (Tamang JP. Naturally fermented ethnic soybean…). Bacillus subtilis and B. licheniformis do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step3–5 daysSourced[T2015]Pack in leaf-lined lidded bamboo basket, keep near kitchen hearth
Temperature40 °CSourced[T2015]Drain and cool
DocumentedSoy and legumes5.1 days – 8.1 daysMore soy and legumesMore from India

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedWhat goes in. No source gives amounts for this ferment.
small-seeded local soybeans from hill terraces
Starter: spontaneous

Total time across the recorded steps: 5.1 days – 8.1 days

Start
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What changes: Soybeans boil whole until soft

Step 1 of 4
Select, wash, boil
Time
2–3 h
Sourced
Temperature
100
Unconfirmed
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Bacillus

Output: cooked beans.

Flavour
cooked
Texture
soft whole beans (no cracking, no ash — unlike kinema)
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

spores survive

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

Safety

Review reports potential pathogens B. cereus and Proteus mirabilis at very high counts (abstract notation suggests up to 10^7–10^10 CFU/g) and enterotoxin and urease genes in isolates; calls for a regulated food chain [Singh2023].

Hazards the sources name: B. cereus; Staphylococcus aureus; Proteus mirabilis.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

Sold by Meitei women in local markets; no organised industry [T2015].

  1. [T2015] Tamang JP. Naturally fermented ethnic soybean foods of India. J Ethnic Foods 2015;2:8-17. doi:10.1016/j.jef.2015.02.003paper
  2. [Singh2023] Singh TA et al. Hawaijar – an ethnic vegan fermented soybean food of Manipur, India: a comprehensive review. Food Res Int 2023;170:112983. (abstract only read)paper
  3. [s3] Jeyaram K et al. Molecular identification of dominant microflora associated with hawaijar. Int J Food Microbiol 2008;122:259-268 (cited in T2015)paper