Food and beverages

Nepali food

Nepal is a multi-ethnic country, and food habits may differ from one culture to another. Nepal, especially Kathmandu, provides excellent dining and wine choices that range from traditional Nepali dishes to continental cuisines. Here are some of the typical food items popular in Nepal.

Typical Nepali cuisine consists of Daal, Bhaat, and Tarkaari (Lentil soup, rice, and vegetable curry). Most Nepalis eat Daal, Bhaat, and Tarkari, almost daily, and they do not feel they have eaten adequately without them. Food is synonymous with Dal, Bhat, and Tarkari in Nepal. It is a meal mostly eaten at home during your stay in the village or while trekking and traveling off the beaten track. In remote trek regions- Dhal, Bhat, and Tarkari will be your only food option.

Dal - Dal is a lentil soup eaten with rice. The most popular lentils used as dal in Nepal are black (Mash), red (Mushuro), and yellow(Mugi).

Bhat - It is steamed rice. 

Tarkari - Any vegetable or group of vegetables in curries, usually broth, can be made in several ways.

Gundrook-Dheedo - Equally popular among Nepali and foreign tourists, Gundrook-Dheedo is a sugar-free dish made of wheat, maize, and dried green vegetable. The food is high in nutrition level and satisfies the taste buds.

Sag -  Green vegetables- spinach, mustard greens, or broad-leaved mustard. A standard accompaniment to plain rice for lunch or dinner

Masu -Meat with spices (curry) and gravy, usually served with rice. The majority of Nepalese eat chicken and mutton. Some eat buffalo and pork. Almost no one eats cows. The killing of a cow is illegal in Nepal.

Katamari - Newari food resembles Pizza or Dosa (south Indian), made with rice flour flatbread cooked with toppings such as minced meat with or without some vegetable, egg, sugar, or no toppings.

Choyla -  Newari grilled/roasted spicy meat usually eaten as an appetizer with liquor

Gundruk - A dried and fermented green vegetable leaf, made into soup, gives a slightly sour, slightly tangy.

Kwati - Newari soup with many beans, a festival specialty

Momo - Dumplings filled with minced meat usually buff in Nepal, served steamed or fried, a famous appetizer, afternoon snack, or evening meal.

Samay Baji - Newari beaten rice with roasted meat, smoked fish, boiled-then-fried egg, black soybeans, and diced ginger, usually a ritual food.

Sekuwa - Grilled meat, usually made from mutton, duck, chicken, buff, or wild boar.

Sel - Doughnut, shaped dessert/snack made from rice flour

Sukuti - spicy dried meat roasted over a charcoal fire.

Aloo Tama - Potato soup made with bamboo shoots

 

Relishes

Achar -a sour, spice, or sweet pickle, can also be made in various ways. Most popular pickles are prepared from ground tomatoes, sliced radish, ground coriander, and boiled or diced potatoes.

 

Drinks

Raksi - Raksi is a traditional wine made from millet or rice. It is strong on the nose and sends a burning sensation straight down your throat that resolves itself into a surprisingly smooth, velvety sensation. This homebrew is mostly prepared during festivals. It is one of the most world's delicious drinks.

Tongba - Tongba is a millet-based alcoholic beverage found in the eastern mountainous region of Nepal and popular among the Limbus.

Chhyang -- the milky white beer/liquor made from fermented rice