There is no sincerer love than the love of food. – George Bernard Shaw

We don’t dare play iconoclasts to Bernard Shaw’s views; not because of his unmatched stature in world theatre and pop culture but because of how true his observation stands across generations! And we realize the sanctity of this quote more so, when we come across food from our native lands while traversing across the globe.


Indian cuisines have conquered the world, and the journey has just begun with more Indians travelling abroad. You will easily locate Indian restaurants and food joints beyond the seas, serving dishes that have somehow become clichés to describe the Indian community. So, what was there to break away from the clutter? Well, an Indian girl from Manipur has found the answer and how!


Meet Lulu Pheiga from Neikanlong, Manipur, India, who has brought a fresh flavour to the culinary scene of Genk, Belgium. She mixed two contrasting elements to come up with her big idea—Nagaland’s native food (Naga dishes), which still does not have any remarkable presence in Belgium. She coupled the quirky idea with a food truck, a concept yet to gain popularity in her native land India.


Named Lulu's Tribal Kitchen, her food truck has introduced some lesser known dishes from northeast India; dishes that were otherwise confined to the tribal belts of the region. Savour bona fide north-eastern dishes like Naga dahl (spiced up lentils with potatoes), panthao gan (eggplant curry), guakjan le pukma gan (smoked pork in pumpkin sauce), gan huai (tribal risotto) and chilly pork from this mobile food haven.

Hailing from the Rongmei Naga tribe, Lulu Pheiga has successfully brought the flavour of her ethnic food items to the streets of Genk. So, next time when you are in Genk and crave for some Naga dishes, Lulu's Tribal Kitchen is the place to be (you can call at +32-491-305356) to get the location of her truck!


Footnote: Lulu Pheiga is planning to visit the famed Hornbill Festival in India in 2016 along with a group of travellers and celebrate the splendid northeast amid music, food and cultural exchange.