Arunachal Pradesh, says Swarupa Dutt/Rediff, offers more than just momos, Laughing Buddhas and heightened patriotic fervour. Here's what captures the essence of Arunachal...
Fried Rice Breakfast
Fried rice with a double-egg omelette is a tasty, interesting, nutritious way to begin your day.
Sangetsar Lake/Tso
As dreamy as a watercolour, the tso is also called Madhuri Lake after Koyla (starring Ms Dixit) was shot here.
At over 12,000 feet, dead tree trunks stand like sentinels in the still water embraced by mist.
Dried Yak Meat/Sah Sangbu
We did consider buying it, but dropped the idea when we saw it was alive with worms and insects! Nevertheless, an interesting find.
Betel Nuts
Kirana stores keep these in sacks on the steps outside.
Called Changlang areca nuts (after the area it's grown in) they mature into this beautiful colour. They have to be dehusked; the nut is inside.
Arunachal Wine
India's 1st organic kiwi wine -- Naara Aaba kiwi wine -- produced in the Ziro Valley, and other fruit wines like pear and apple are all strictly OK, but make for nice gifts.
Chips Ahoy!
Dump your Lays and try these local versions (some are made in China) with flavours as diverse as broad beans, lemon, bhut jolokia and prawns.
Pickles
Chicken, pork, beef pickles have interesting flavours and are not smelly.
The must-buys are the olive (jalpai), bamboo, bhut jolokia (in brine or oil) and the chilly-garlic ones. Fabulous!
Fern Sabzi
These are fiddlehead ferns (called dhekia or lengdu in Arunachal) and are added to momos or just stir fried with garlic, sesame and chillies.
Gnye
They look like green peppers. When you bite into them your palate is filled with a slightly numbing, slightly peppery, slightly bitter taste, with a distinct lemon-grassy aftertaste.
When dry they look exactly like black pepper. Add to chutneys or simply pound and sprinkle into cheese sandwiches.
Bhut Jolokia
Also known as ghost pepper, it has a Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) of around 1,041,427. (An ordinary green chilly has 30,000 SHU). The smoky flavour of this chilly is distinctive.
Pork Curry
Pork is the go-to protein in Arunachal and most of the North East. This one was a spicy, thick gravy with large on-the-bone pieces of pork served with rice.
Yak Cheese/Churpi
This is the soft version which is delivered freshly-wrapped in leaves. It's added to curries like the Chura Sabzi, and soups.
A warning: While it's being cooked the smell can turn your stomach.
Thukpa
Most restaurants serve varied versions of the thukpa -- a noodle-based broth packed with flavour -- that can be vegetarian, pork or chicken.
Flowers
Every house has flower pots in the balcony. Everyone has blooming flowers.
The profusion of wildflowers, flowers in monastery gardens, restaurants, hotels is something you would rarely see in the plains.
Pork With Banana Flowers
This is the Assamese koldil dia gahori (pork with banana flowers).
Tender pieces of pork nestling in a rich flavourful banana flower curry was the best meal we had during the holiday.
Children
Bite-sized, bright-eyed and cute-as-buttons, kid spotting is a great pastime, that beats shopping for wind chimes and instant noodles.
Dried Yak Cheese/Churpi
This looks like Edam cheese but is simply the dried version of Churpi.
It's extremely tough so pop into your mouth and let the saliva rehydrate it. Then chew on it as it softens. You could also rehydrate it in water before eating it.
Pathways To Heaven
Narrow paths over gurgling brooks and the crunch of pine needles underfoot; psithurism, birdsong and wildflowers; misty mornings and long ethereal walks... Find them in Arunachal.