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Cuisine

Nepalese

Dal-bhat-tarkari with achar twice a day in the hills, the rich ritual food of the Kathmandu Valley's Newars, Tibetan-style noodles and momos in the mountains, and Maithil and Bhojpuri cooking in the Terai.

Flavour character: Clean and warming: cumin, coriander, turmeric and timur; fenugreek or jimbu in the tempering; ghee, mustard oil, ginger and garlic; sour and hot achars.

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Nepali dal bhat thali with rice, lentil soup, curry and flatbread

History

Nepal's food follows its altitudes and peoples. Hill Brahmin, Chhetri and other communities eat dal-bhat-tarkari, rice with lentil soup, vegetable curry and pickle, usually twice a day. The Newars of the Kathmandu Valley developed an elaborate feast cuisine tied to festivals and rituals (samay baji, bara, chatamari, yomari, juju dhau of Bhaktapur). Momos are commonly said to have come to Kathmandu via Newar merchants trading in Lhasa. Mountain communities such as Sherpa and Thakali eat tsampa, potatoes and butter tea, and the Terai shares food with neighbouring Bihar.

Commonly told; not firmly documented

Geography and influences

From the hot Terai plains through the middle hills and Kathmandu Valley to the high Himalaya: rice, maize, millet and buckwheat change with height.

  • Hindu hill traditions
  • Newar urban and ritual culture
  • Tibetan trade and Buddhism
  • Maithil and Bhojpuri Terai
  • Thakali trading culture

Regional variations

Newar (Kathmandu Valley)
Samay baji, bara, chatamari, choila, yomari, juju dhau; buffalo meat is common.
Hill Brahmin and Chhetri
Dal-bhat-tarkari, gundruk, achar; many avoid onion and garlic on ritual days.
Thakali (Mustang)
The renowned Thakali dal-bhat set, buckwheat dishes, dried meat.
Sherpa and high Himalaya
Tsampa, potato dishes (riki kur), thukpa, butter tea.
Terai (Madhesh)
Maithil and Bhojpuri cooking shared with Bihar: litti, fish, mustard.

Festive and seasonal food

  • Dashain: goat meat and family feasts
  • Tihar: sel roti and sweets
  • Maghe Sankranti: ghee, chaku (molasses), sesame laddoo, yam and sweet potato
  • Janai Purnima (Gunhu Punhi): kwati, a soup of nine sprouted beans
  • Yomari Punhi (December, Newar): yomari dumplings filled with chaku and sesame
  • Teej: dar, a rich feast the night before women fast
  • Losar (Sherpa, Tamang, Gurung): khapse and Tibetan dishes

Signature dishes

Not on the site yet: Gundruk ko jhol, Dhindo, Thakali khana set, Samay baji, Choila, Sukuti (dried meat), Kinema, Chhurpi, Tongba (millet beer), Khapse

Nepalese recipes

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