II DOMESTIC LIFE 37

grains and herbs which he grows in his jhums, the Lashai finds
many edible roots and herbs in the jungle. The young shoots
of the bamboo are by no means unpleasant eating, and a salad
of those of the sago palm is quite a luxury, while the pith of
the latter is much eaten in times of scarcity. When a large
animal has been killed at any distance from the village the
flesh is cut into strips and dried over a slow fire, after which it
remains edible, according to Lushai ideas, for a very long time.
Boiling is the only culinary art known.

As regards his drink, the Lushai has very simple tastes.
With his meals he drinks nothing but the water in which the
food has been boiled, which he sips sparingly, washing the
meal down with a draught of cold water. Intoxicating drinks
he only takes when he has full leisure to enjoy them and in
company with a party of friends.

There are two kinds of such drinks, both home-made, from
rice. The commonest is known as " zu," and is a simple par-
tially fermented drink ; the other, called " rakzu 3> or (£ zuthak,"
is distilled. This is very seldom used, being only made on
special occasions. The still is a very simple contrivance,
generally consisting of an earthenware pot on the top of which
a gourd is fixed securely, the joint being made airtight with
rags and clay; through the top of the gourd is passed a bamboo
which is swathed in rags which are kept wet so as to condense
the vapour from the pot. Zu is a very important article with
these people. It is required for the due observance of every
ceremony; a child's birth is an occasion for entertaining its
relations, no marriage can be celebrated without the consump-
tion of zu, while after his death a Lushai's friends and relatives
drown their sorrow in all the zu they can obtain.

Has a demon to be propitiated, the return of a raiding or
hunting party to be celebrated or a friend to be welcomed, in
every case zu is indispensable.

Good zu takes some time to prepare. After being well
bruised, paddy is damped and packed away in several layers of
leaves and kept for some months—the longer the better. When
the zu has to be brewed the bundles are opened and the
contents placed in a large earthen jar and well pressed down,
with a layer of leaves on top, and the jar filled up with water.