Born in Russia, when I first came to Nepal, I was not going to see the temples and mountains that seem to capture the imagination of all travelers, and no, I was not going for the food either. In fact, they dragged me here. You see, the first time Nepal caught me was at the age of six, so the usual tourist spots still didn’t interest me. Frankly, Nepal didn’t interest me either. My mother and at that time her boyfriend were going to Nepal on vacation and visiting my aunt (my mother’s sister) who had married a Nepalese who was studying in Russia at the time. Although I have a memory of Nepal that I saw in the 80s, it certainly did not leave as lasting an impression on me as FOOD; because what little I remember, for the most part, had little to do with the Himalayas and Pagodas. Later my mother and I would immigrate to the US and I would get no real taste of Nepalese food other than the occasional taste of achhar (a spicy Nepalese pickle) or an Indian food substitute “not the same” , until I was 24 when Nepalese food once again touched my memories and taste buds.
When I came to Nepal, this time in 2007, little had changed. My family’s opinion has been that there was now more traffic, that the cities were now more congested, but the core of Nepal remained the same. I loved it, but what did catch my attention were the tourists. Nepal is certainly more popular today than it was then, and the burgeoning tourism industry sadly, in an effort to adjust to the Western tourist’s fear of trying something new, has, in my opinion, obscured the true taste of Nepal by making it too much. easy to abstain. of Nepalese food.
Like the thousands of people who now come to Nepal to experience trekking in the Himalayas, I too ventured to do the same. Of course, the area I was traveling through, the Annapurna Conservation Area, was the most developed hiking trail in Nepal, but what I saw put me off a bit. Villagers who previously only served traditional Nepalese dishes now offered pizza and Caesar salad among other typical western items to suit the tastes of new age hikers.
My views may be different from most, but when I come to a country I want to experience all that that country has to offer. The people, the sights and the culture, and certainly those who achieve the above, get a lot of what Nepal is about, but at the same time, they are leaving the same amount (sorry for the pun) on the table. .
I must say, what for me is really close to the nails on a blackboard, is the fearful tourist. Frankly, I don’t understand how people who travel thousands of miles to get to Nepal arrive in such fear of a little traveler’s diarrhea, which they will probably have anyway (treatable with simple over-the-counter drugs or over-the-counter antibiotics available at Nepal). They dare not venture outside the Hyatt to eat, all to be greatly missed. As diverse as Nepal is culturally, it is also equally diverse culinary. I think my aunt put it best, “Most likely the diarrhea you give to travelers is NOT from Nepalese food, but from tourists asking a Nepalese villager to make them a mushroom, sausage and pizza pizza. olives “.
I don’t know about you, but I trust a Nepalese villager much more preparing what he tastes best and they eat on a daily basis, much more than trying to recreate Western food with intermittent refrigeration and “unnatural” ingredients for Nepal. Unfortunately, not everyone thinks alike, as I found myself, walking alongside many astonished travelers, who during their walk, wondering how they got the races, after digesting a hamburger made with imported meat (beef or rather cows are sacred in Nepal). ), Swiss cheese and lettuce that arrived at their dining room table by the same 5-day trekking route they had just traveled. The moral of the story is, think with your brain, not just your stomach.
The problem alone, not eating ethnic food native to an area, would be of little consequence if the problems associated with it had been limited to frequent bathroom breaks for a passing traveler. Nepal prides itself on its cultural heritage, terrain and landscape, and especially its food, but it is the same “ecotourist” who comes to Nepal with the idea of ​​preserving all that is Nepal and “helping” the Nepalese people (a proposal questionable). , which is often the one seen eating the French Fires & Chicken Cesar Salad for a meal totally unaware of how this affects the immediate local economy (still heavily based on trade) and the environment.
The additional preparation methods required in preparing these items certainly consume more fuel, in an area where natural gas is often not available. If there is an increased demand for fossil fuels and rare foods, those materials must be collected or brought in from wherever they are available, increasing costs that eventually permeate the entire economy.
Those are certainly not the only reasons to try Nepalese food. The mere fact that it is delicious has a lot to do with it. With so much to prove, it is an enigma in itself to know why so many freak out.
Nepal, sandwiched between China (Tibet) in the north and India in the south, has for thousands of years been the stopping point for travelers from both regions. With these travelers came the food and the mix of foreign influences along with local cuisine has created the Nepalese menu, but it doesn’t stop there.
If one were to visit a website dedicated to traveling in Nepal, they would undoubtedly find a bit of how culturally diverse Nepal is as a country, which has dozens of ethnic groups, many of them with their own special foods.
There is the Newari, “sukuti”, which is a delicious pre-dinner snack to accompany the drinks, with shredded dried meat (jerky), ginger, garlic, onion, tomato, salt, oil and some crushed green or red chilies to heat . The plate, which is spooned into the hand, is eaten like peanuts or chips.
Of course, it seems that every country has its version of the dumpling. Called “mo-mo” in Nepal, it is a juicy steamed dumpling, traditionally round and filled with a number of things, from chicken, goat (lamb), buffalo to vegetables and potatoes. Served with a spicy sauce, the dish is a favorite among Nepalese and travelers and is offered at what appears to be almost every food venue.
Traveling near and around rivers, you will almost certainly come across another delicacy that, if found in the west, would give fish and chips some fierce competition. This delicious snack is the “tareko matza” (bam), an eel fish, usually no more than 25 cm (although other dishes use much larger specimens) battered in spices, fried and eaten whole. Truly terrifying at first, they are irresistible after the first bite after a dip in a sauce. The fish is such that there are no inedible bones and the smallest specimens can be eaten as is. The largest, you can easily get rid of the backbone by simply separating the flaky and crispy fish once cooked.
Served with almost all traditional Nepalese foods, it is the Nepalese staple of Dal Bhat Tarkari. A thick lentil broth is poured over the rice and served with any number of vegetables and, in some cases, some meat. Generally vegetarian in nature, the dish, rich in protein (lentils), carbohydrates and vitamins, is an important source of nutrition in Nepal. The usual food in Nepal is Dal Bhat and any number of garnishes to spice up the food.
Nepal, like any other country, does not fall short on street food, the most popular of which in this case is samossa or panipuri. Samosa, is a pyramid-shaped cake filled with a spicy and fried potato filling. Panipuris are crispy, golf-ball-sized, flower-based shells that are filled with the same potato filling that, after dipping in a tasty sauce, are eaten whole. Corn lovers can find at any time shells that are roasted over an open fire, turning the outside of the corn into a kind of chard, and crisp consistency with a softer interior inside the grains, rubbed with salt and crushed chilies if they are want. There is also “chatpate” is the mixture of beans, corn and any number of other ingredients that are mixed with spices and lemon juice and eaten in a cone-shaped paper cup.
Whatever the food, they all have something in common. Spice! Nepalese cooks like spices, which are often hotter than hot. Of course, hot is never off the list of options. Kathmandu’s colorful Asan Market is popular with tourists and photographers for the wide range of spices sold there. From curries, fungreek, ginger powder, garlic, cumin, the precious saffron and whatever you want.
Food carries many of the answers about what a culture is like. Nepalese food is no different. Within its flavors, textures and smells it carries the story, the reasons behind Nepalese daily life and many other answers if one just looks. There are religious festivals held to welcome the monsoon season and it is no wonder when you consider the cultivation of rice and the fact that rice is the staple food of Nepal. Life revolves around food and cultures are shaped by it. If you come to Nepal, immerse yourself, don’t be afraid to come out of your shell. Try the food, it’s good.