By Arpana Adhikari

Kathmandu Jan. 26: The scope of authentic Nepali flavour is gradually shrinking, along with the growing popularity of continental and Indian cuisines.
If you ask someone to name some popular Nepali cuisines, the first name they will take is “Daal Bhaat and Tarkari”, followed by mo:mo, which is an unofficial national dish while some may name “selroti”.
And if you ask the same question to the Kathmandu Valley denizens, they might give you some more items of Newari cuisine like Yomari, Bara, Chatamari and Choila, as these indigenous flavours have conquered their taste buds.
But there is a wide spectrum of foods from the country’s past that is now less ubiquitous but no less delicious than these more common national and international dishes, said chef and culinary art trainer Prem Lal Ghising, who recently completed his 100 days of food excursion to explore Nepali authentic flavours.
Ghising started his journey from Birtamod, Jhapa, on September 30, 2019, and concluded it on January 9 in Banke of western Nepal.
With a zeal to identify authentic Nepali cuisines, Ghising travelled around 65 mountainous, hilly and plain districts of the country, where he succeeded to discover more than 600 original cuisines prepared by using locally available spices, food grains and raw materials.
Working in five star hotels as a culinary art trainee and instructor, Ghising came to know a lot about continental cuisines. But there were only few authentic Nepali flavours which he could introduce to the customers.
This inspired him to go on an excursion.
“Over the years, Nepali diet has undergone a transformation because of changing lifestyle and the easy availability of fast foods. As a result, many dishes that were once prepared regularly at home have been pushed to oblivion,” said Ghising.
“During this excursion, I have been able to identify more than 600 authentic Nepali cuisines, with 80 from Newari and 70 from Thakali community. Nepal has high potential of developing itself as a destination of culinary attraction,” he said. “In Nepal, every food has a story. Our food has cultural, historical, environmental, scientific and nutritious values and prepared by considering the human health.”
He stayed at the houses of different ethnic groups and acquired knowledge from the elderlies to revisit old recipes and keep them intact.
Nepal is a land of ethnic diversity. More than 125 recorded ethnic groups live in Nepal. All these ethnic groups have their distinct cuisines. The variety of food differs from one ethnic group to another and also from one geographical region to another. Foods are prepared to suit the changing season, said Ghising.
Every single ethnic community has their own unique foods, spices and cooking methods. And the more interesting fact is that the flavour in same ethnic community also varies from place to place. This is because of the availability of certain food grains and spices, he added.
“Similarly, use of meat also varies
from communities to communities. Like Newari foods centre
primarily around buffalo meat, whereas for the Rais it is pork, for

the Sherpas yak meat and for the Maithils and Tharus fish and other
water species,” said Ghising.
These unique cuisines are best cooked at home, and there is no place to visit and relish the same taste, said Ghising, adding that hence he had a plan to prepare recipes of all these cuisines and prepare them in different hotels and restaurants.
He also expressed his worries that people these days were mixing Indian spices in Nepali cuisines, which is gradually replacing the ethnic flavours.
“Nepali authentic food items are full of nutrition and carry high potential of food business. For this, we have to identify the scope and undertake research,” said Ghising.
Ghising has been working on a documentary and a book which will include the details of the food excursion, recipes, history of cuisines and spices and appropriate season to consume them.