50% of Nepalese children are officially malnourished, this is a direct result of poverty. Most Nepalese will rarely eat meat, perhaps only once a year during a festival. Milk is just as scarce and this lack of a balanced diet is responsible for many deaths, especially for newborns and pregnant women, both of whom need greater intake of milk and meat as well as other foodstuffs.
Kathmandu
Kathmandu is known throughout the backpackers world, not as the centre of Nepal food, but as a great hub for international cuisine, ranging from "Deep South" American restaurants to Japanese sushi bars. Of course, all of them are run by locals, all just dabbling in different varieties of food. However once outside the tourist areas and in Nepalese culture areas, there really aren't restaurants as we see them. Most Nepalese think restaurants are really just roadside shacks selling a range of boiled eggs, chillied cucumbers and all number of exotic fruits, generally only being used as travelling stops, as most Nepalese food is always done within the home, with women competing to make the greatest food you'll ever have!
Nepal Food and Drink Customs
There are a number of different customs in the Himalaya regarding food, many of which have direct links to the religions practiced. For example, Buddhists believe that the foot is dirty and disrespectful, because Nepalese people eat on the floor, if your foot accidentally went above some food, that food would be considered jutho or 'contaminated'. Equally, if you were to touch a serving dish with a dirty hand or utensil, that food would then be jutho.
If you'd like to try some Nepalese cuisine, purchase some delicious Nepalese tea, home grown and hand picked in Nepal, and packaged in beautiful locally made silk bags, please see below! |
