Mokochung is the center of the Ao people. The Aos were the first tribe in Nagaland to adopt to Christianity. The Baptist church in the center of the town is one of the largest in India. Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslims from other states can also be found here. Traditionally the Aos were animists who believed in the appeasement of good and evil spirits through practices like animal sacrifices. Through Christianity and Westernization by American evangelists, these religious sentiments have been removed. However, Aos
continue to celebrate their old festivals as cultural events rather than religious ones. Pork is the favourite Ao meat, and there is plenty of it in the traditional Naga food available in the small restaurants in this area. It would be best if you tried dishes with Anishi, fermented Colocasia leaves dried, smoked, ground with spices, and preserved as cakes. Axone is another Ao ingredient. It is made by fermenting cooked soybeans. They are then made into a chutney with tomatoes and spices or cooked with meat. Fermented preserved
bamboo shoots are made in almost all households by wrapping them in banana leaves for
about two weeks. These are added to meat and vegetable curries and eaten with steamed
rice.
