By dish

Introduction to Nepalese Food

The food in Nepal differs from the one culture to the another. However, here’s a typical sample of food from different cultures in Nepal.

Dal, Bhat and Tarkari - translated as Lentils, Rice and Curried vegetable. It is the main staple diet of most Nepali people.


Chatamari - (Newari) food resembles Pizza or Dosa (south Indian). rice flour flat bread cooked over heat 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 appetizer with liquor

Gundruk - dried and fermented green vegetables leaves. when made to soup gives a slightly sour, slightly tangy.

Kwati - (Newari) soup with many beans. a festival specialty

Momo(cha) - (Newari) a dumplings filled with minced meat (usually buffalo in Nepal, Turkey elsewhere), served steamed or fried. very popular 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 co

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

Sel - donoght-like shaped dessert/snack made from rice flour

Sukuti - spicy dried meat roasted over a charcoal fire.

Aloo Tama - Potato made with bamboo shoots.

Tawkhaa - (Newari) Jello of meat soup served cold. 

Wo - (Newari) flour patty made of lentils with or without meat/egg topping. used in ritual or festival or used as snack.

Nepali Main Dish

Aloo Tama - Bamboo shoot and potato.

Dal - lentil soup usually eaten with rice. most popular lentils usued as dal in Nepal are black, red and yellow.


Masu - meat with spices (curry) and gravy. usually served with rice. Most Nepalese eat chicken, mutton. Some eat buffalo and pork. Almost no one eats cow. Killing cow is prohibited in Nepal

Bhat - steamed rice

Tarkari - any vegetable or group of vegetables in curry, usually broth. can be made in thousand s ways.


Achar - a sour, spice or seet pickle. can be made in thousand ways. the most poplar are made of ground tomatoes, sliced radish, ground coriander, boiled or diced potatoes.

Sanya Khuna - (Newari) hot, spicy, salty jellotype food made from fish soup.

Nepali Desserts

Dahi - Yogurt/Curd

Juju Dhau - popular creamy curd from Bhaktapur. Juju literally means ‘‘king".

Sikarni - curd mixed with dried fruits. 

Nepali Drinks

Rakshi - liquor (can mean local liquor)

Thon (Newari) or Chhyang (Tibetan) - the milky white beer/liquor made from fermented rice.

Tongba - a popular liquor in the hills. made by pouring hot water into a pot of fermented millet and drunk with a bamboo straw.

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