4th edition of 'Bhojanlipi Swad' on June 29

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, June 16: The fourth edition of 'Bhojanlipi Swad', a culinary event based on the cooking skills of international chefs Ghanashyam Kandel and Durga Khadka, is scheduled to take place in Kathmandu on June 29, which is also National Paddy Day. 

The event is being organised by the Nepali Cuisine Promotion Campaign to coincide with the Paddy Day. 

According to the campaign coordinator, Devi Prasad Sapkota, the programme will focus on the promotion of dishes made from paddy and dairy products. The exact time and venue will be announced in a few days, he said at a press conference organised in Kathmandu on Sunday.

The food festival will also feature the promotion of seasonal agricultural produce such as buttermilk, honey, ghee, mustard oil, and Nepali coffee. Earlier, the third edition of the event was held in Kathmandu on June 1.  

Chef Kandel, the creator of 'Bhojanlipi Swad', said that it is appropriate to connect Nepali cuisine with Nepali culture and spirituality. Emphasising that people today seek more than just taste, he expressed his belief that Nepali food could offer the world a precious, medicine-like gift. 

He is a researcher of both Nepali and international culinary tastes, and has recently published a world-class cookbook titled 'Timur'. Additionally, a co-authored Bhojanlipi cookbook with fellow chef Durga Khadka is due to be released soon.

Chef Kandel has contributed to the hospitality sector by training hundreds of chefs in more than 40 restaurants, both in Nepal and abroad. 

The campaign has been further enriched by the experience-sharing of prominent Nepali chefs including Govinda Narasingh KC, Ganesh Dhakal, Laxman Prasad Bhandari, Shiva Hari Ghimire, and the younger generation such as Purna Shrestha, Ajubi Chamling, and Ingwa Subba. This collaboration has helped the campaign gain national and international recognition in a short time, said Kandel.

According to Sapkota, the campaign plans to organise 100 editions of Bhojanlipi Swad in Nepal and abroad. 

So far, dishes made from agricultural produce of 35 districts, including Jhapa, Ilam, Panchthar, Dolakha, Dhanusha, Chitwan, Nawalparasi, Kaski, Myagdi, Baglung, Rolpa, and Jumla, are featured in the campaign.

The campaign aims to gradually incorporate agricultural produce from all 77 districts of Nepal. Sapkota called on farmers across the country to join the campaign as a means of marketing their products. 

According to him, hotel entrepreneurs from various parts of the country have shown keen interest in hosting future editions. The campaign also plans to work directly with farmers to present their products as delicious dishes in major cities. It will coordinate the marketing of produce such as grains, fruits, milk, fish, and meat.