Often referred to as paradise on earth, Nepal is a small and beautiful country sharing borders with India and China. The food of Nepal has a wide range of tastes, and you will perhaps be able to experience all types of tastes that exist. One of the blessings of Nepal is that this country rejoices in its diversity and every community proffers something special on the plate to enjoy. The food of Nepal ranges from sweet, salty, sour, and bitter to food with pungent smells yet delicious.

The flavors in Nepal are unique and the preparations of traditional food are interesting. Due to the wonderful variation in its landform, the food of Nepal has been influenced by other neighboring countries as well. You will be able to enjoy ethnic dishes in Nepal also find yourself indulging in food influenced by India, Tibet, and China. Nepal is a fascinating place with complex cuisine and satisfying flavors. The food of Nepal is for all; whether you are a meat-eater or not the food is appealing to all. Unlike many Asian countries, due to the presence of Buddhist and Hindu traditions in Nepal, vegetarian food can be easily found in all places.

BEST TIME TO VISIT 

The best time to visit Nepal is between October and December when the skies are a clear blue and the views spectacular

HOW TO REACH 

By air: The only international airport in Nepal is the Tribhuvan International Airport in the capital city of Khatmandu. 

By road: The bus is the most convenient option to reach Nepal from India. There are direct buses operate between Delhi and Kathmandu. Travelling by car is also a common practice. You are required to pay a toll fee and a transport permit at the border crossing.

Chow Chow chatpate - A common Nepali snack

11 POPULAR MOUTHWATERING DISHES OF NEPAL THAT YOU CANNOT RESISTS:

(1) Dal Bhat

Rice being the staple food of Nepal just like many other Asian countries, Dhal Bhat also referred to as Dal-Bhat-Tarkari is one of the most delicious meals loved by all Nepalese. Dal is basically pulses like lentils, black gram, mung bean, kidney bean, etc and bhat is the Nepali translation for rice. Dal bhat is served with some side dishes like curd, chutney, papads, vegetables, and meat. The people of Nepal usually prefer having this food with achar or locally made pickles. Dal bhat is one of the delicious foods of Nepal that is filling and taken as lunch or dinner.

Dal bhat – the staple food of Nepal

(2) Momos

Influenced by Tibetan cuisine, momos are something you should never miss having in Nepal. Momos are made of two main components that are dough and fillings. The dough is simply made out of flour and water and the fillings can either be vegetarian or non-vegetarian. Pork, chicken, and beef are usually used to make meat momos and vegetables like cabbage, carrots, onions, and squash are mixed and chopped into very tiny pieces to make vegetable fillings. The people in Nepal add some spices to add more taste to momos and the momos of Nepal may taste a bit different from other places. This food is served with hot spicy chutney and delicious soup.

Momos – the love of Nepalese

(3) Dhido

Dhido is a typical Nepali traditional food that has been passed down by ancestors in Nepal. These days it is difficult to find dhido in Nepal however some places offer this traditional food and if you are lucky to find it, do not miss it. It is a delicious cooked paste of buckwheat flour like thick polenta. This food is eaten with ghee and you will be able to taste a part of Nepal in it. It was really common in the olden days when rice was expensive to afford and dhido was the staple food for everyone. This delicious food is really filling and healthy.

Read: Gangtok on a platter

Dhido with some side dishes

(4) Sel Roti

Sel roti is one of the popular dishes and most delicious in Nepal. Made with rice flour and fried in hot oil or ghee in round shaped like doughnuts, it is one of the most loved dishes by all Nepalese. The rice is washed, ground, and turned into flour then some water is added along with a small amount of regular flour and sugar and some spices like cardamom, clove powder, and cinnamon. This food is usually made on occasions in Nepal like Dashera, Diwali, or weddings. Many restaurants also have sel roti on their menus and you can also get them on the streets, deep-fried and served hot. Sel roti is crunchy from the outside soft and puffy from the inside. Usually served with hot alu dum or ghorkhey chutney, sel roti is must-have food in Nepal.

Sel roti for every occasion in Nepal

(5) Thukpa

Thukpa is a thick noodle soup that can be totally vegetarian or may contain meat and eggs. It is a dish you would love to have during cold weather in Nepal. Thukpa is also sometimes served with an accompanying dish of momos. This food of Nepal is influenced by Tibetan and Chinese cuisine. Absolutely yummy, it can be made from a variety of meat like goat, chicken, lamb, or yak. All the flavors and spices are added to the soup and the noodles are just simply boiled in water with some drops of oil to avoid them from sticking. For non-meat eaters, you will also find a variety of vegetarian thukpas like alu thukpa or vegetable thukpa. Vegetables like cabbages, carrots, onions, capsicum, etc make veg thukpa and alu thukpa is nothing but hot and spicy mouth-watering potato soup noodles.

Delicious Thukpa – one of the must-have food of Nepal

(6) Gorkhali Lamb

While exploring places in Nepal you must not miss having this dish of mouth-watering lamb curry that features a variety of intense plus filling flavors and ingredients. The lamb is slow-cooked in a curry with onions and potatoes. It is then removed, grilled, and sealed with spices and chilies before transferring it back to the curry and cooked a bit more. The delicious gorkhali lamb is served with rice or roti. This is one of the popular comfort foods of Nepal and you will be mind blown by the mix of flavors of spices and juicy and tender lamb meat that you will be craving for more.

Culinary tour in Kirtipur

Gorkhali lamb

(7) Gundruk

Gundruk is a popular Nepalese food passed down by ancestors in Nepal. This interesting dish is made by fermenting and drying leafy vegetables but mostly rayo sag, radish leaves and mustard leaves. People of Nepal love gundruk soup and gundruk achar. You cannot escape gundruk in Nepal it is a common food found easily and tastes delicious. Apart from soup it can be served as an appetizer or a side dish. It takes many weeks to make gundruk and homemade gundruk is the best. The leaves are washed properly dried a little and put in a container to be kept in dark and cold place for some weeks or buried under the ground to ferment it. After some weeks the gundruk is taken out and dried and is ready to be cooked. It has a mild pungent smell and tastes sour. The sourer it is, the more delicious it tastes.

Gundruk soup – a must-have food of Nepal

(8) Sinki

Sinki is similar to gundruk but instead of leafy vegetables, tiny pieces of radish are used to make it. The process of making sinki is also similar to the making of gundruk. Though the preparations are similar they both taste different from one another. Sinki is loved by all it can also be taken as soup and had with rice or put in bottles as pickles. The sinki pickle is a great appetizer and the soup tastes sour and smells delicious. If you happen to try gundruk in Nepal, you must not miss trying sinki.

Sinki pickle

(9) Kinema

It is an indigenous fermented soybean food of Eastern Himalayan regions and Nepal is one of them. The making of kinema takes many weeks and has a pungent smell. It is the food that Nepalese love to eat with rice. You might not like it at first and might not even try it due to its smell. But once you overcome the smell and eat it with rice, you will surely fall in love with it. You can at least give this food a try while you are in Nepal.

Kinema chutney

(10) Sishnu

Sishnu is an interesting food eaten in Nepal. It is basically the stinging nettle plant. The plant when not cooked will sting when touched with bare hands and hurt bad. It contains formic acid and histamine acid and when the leaves are grabbed at a time with bare hands you hand may swell too. But after carefully washing them and preparing sishnu soup, this dish just becomes delicious. This food has many health benefits and has slimy texture.

Stinging nettle aka ‘sishnu’ soup of Nepal

(11) Chowmein

Chowmein is one of the foods easily available in Nepal and is extremely delicious. This food is basically long noodles that are boiled and washed at first and stir-fried with vegetables like cabbage, carrots, capsicum, chilies, and onions with the addition of some spices and sauce. For meat lovers, you will be able to find meat chowmein and egg chowmein easily. Varieties of meat chowmein are made in Nepal and the most common are chicken chowmein, pork chowmein, and beef chowmein. You will be able to find this food at local restaurants, street vendors, or big fancy restaurants too. This is light food and usually taken as lunch or dinner some also prefer to have it in the evening.

Chowmein – one of the best fast food in Nepal

The cuisine of Nepal is a combination of wide range of ingredients and techniques. The food of Nepal has been widely influenced by the food of its neighboring countries. The fusion of native Nepalese cuisine and the cuisines of neighboring countries make the food of Nepal taste even better. The food of Nepal is generally healthier when compared to most of the South Asian cuisines. Since Nepal is a diverse country, the multitude of influences is reflected within Nepal’s cuisine. Food is the reflection of culture, tradition, and ethnicity and you will find these reflections in Nepal. The best experience of enjoying any food is being able to remember the taste long after you eat it and the food of Nepal does that for you.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the most commonly eaten sweet in Nepal?

Jeri, also known as jalebi or jilphi, is one of the most common sweets in Nepal.

Is Nepali food similar to Indian?

Nepali cuisine is closest to Indian cuisine due to similar cooking styles and the availability of common ingredients.

What is the staple food of Nepal?

Daal Bhaat Tarkari (lentils, rice and curry) is the famous staple food of Nepal

Is Nepali food healthy?

Nepali food is generally healthier than most other South- Asain cuisine

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