Food and Drinks

Foods:

Varieties of foods and drinks are offered in every region of Nepal according to the culture, geographical distribution and ethnicity. However, the Daal (lentil soup) – Bhaat (steam rice) – Tarkari (curry) – achaar (pickle) is the main combo throughout the nation.

Nepal is divided into 3 main geographical regions namely: the Himalayan, the Mountainous and the Terai. People from different castes and ethnic groups reside here following their own customs and traditions.

The people living in the Himalayan region usually wear thick woolen clothes with the thick woolen hat and socks and mittens. It is usually cold here and the temperature falls below Zero degrees during winter. The local people usually eat either Daal-Bhaat or make the thick dough-like paste of powdered wheat or maize or corn or millet called Dhindo. A similar kind of dish called Tsampa is made in the northern Himalayan region. The tea is prepared in a very unique style here. It is buttered and salted tea. Tsampa is usually preferable to this Special tea. Another special food item of the Himalayan region is Shakpa which is actually a stew of meat loafs, dumplings, and vegetables.

Likewise, in the Mountainous region, here the weather is quite adjustable. The local people here too wear thick woolen clothes with hats, mittens, and socks but also wear cotton clothes. The food items here available are Daal-Bhat as usual but in addition Bread i.e. Roti or Chapati is served. The curry is generally made from seasonable vegetables and potatoes. Since major cities and tourist centers fall in this region, you can find many restaurants and hotels serving International food cuisines like Italian, Mexican, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, etc. Even fast foods like Spaghetti, Burgers, Pizza, Dumplings (momo), etc. are easily available. Nepalese snack items like Sel roti, Dahi chiura (Curd and Beaten rice), Yomari, Sekuwa, Taas (Chicken or mutton or buff), etc. are usually prepared, mainly during festivals and special celebrations.

In the Terai regions, it is usually extremely hot during summer and cold during winter. So the people here wear clothes accordingly. The Food items here are actually spicier, fried and roasted. As it is nearby India, most of the food items are quite similar to Indian style foods.

 

Drinks:

It is very necessary to be hydrated during the tour or trek. Bottled mineral water is available everywhere along the trekking routes. You also can purify the water or just buy the boiled water. Tap water is usually unsafe while traveling.

You have to drink plenty of fluids like tea, hot lemon, black tea or ginger tea or green tea. It depends on your choice how are you going to fulfill your adequacy of fluids.

Beers are available in local or national and international brands. Like Star, Gold, Everest, Iceberg, Gorkha, etc. are local or national brands while Kingfisher, Tuborg, Carlsberg, San Miguel, etc. are international brands. Besides beer, there is local home-made alcohol which is called “Raksi”.

Lots of soft drinks like Coca-Cola, Fanta, Mountain dew, Sprite are also available. Likewise, Lassi is a traditional Indian beverage prepared by blending yogurt with salt, spices, nuts, fruits, and water. Fruit shakes are also available in some lodges or tea houses in the mountains.

In short, during travel to any part of Nepal, you will get a chance to enjoy varieties of food items in different taste and style. Especially during trekking to Mountains, 3 meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) are on board but if there is a large group, sometimes, the group will hire their own cook. For the hygiene purpose, we usually recommend choosing vegetarian food items as much as possible because some of the trekkers might find the difficulty of digestion or might be ill. Drink plenty of boiled water or mineral bottled water in order to remain hydrated and avoid the chances of Altitude Sickness.