Preserving food in Nepal

The traditional way of Preserving food in Nepal

Before our modern preservation methods came into popularity food was preserved in some odd and ingenious ways. Including drying, fermenting, pickling, cooking its own fat, dry salt, curing, smoking, cooking sealing, and cellaring in general.

The objective of preserving food is saving for the future when there is demand.

Sun-drying was a common method in Nepal, especially for surplus fruits and vegetables. To dry fruit and vegetables was set under a cheesecloth ( Malmal cloth ) in the sun or on a roof until becoming shrivelled hard. Or drying in Mandro if big batch otherwise just in Naglo if it is a small batch.

At that point, it was then hung in cellar or storeroom till consumption. Later when it was time to eat the fruit or vegetable was soaked in water and stewed with to increase palatability again.

Whereas fruit was relatively easy to preserve compared to meat.

Old days we had to undergo hours of labour to ensure they could provide their families with safe, nutritious food throughout the year. Although our modern preservation methods are much more industrialized the art of home preservation is still a skill that is valuable and worth learning. It gives one a sense of accomplishment and an awareness of what they are eating.

What are your favourite items to preserve?

• Sundry – Dry fish, Sidra, Meat for Sukuti ( start mouth-watering ….!), Radish called Chana, Spinach, cauliflower, Tomato this process work for many fruits and vegetable.
• Pickling – we mostly used Radish, Cucumber as Pickle Achar? Traditional food preservation techniques we should remember in a lockdown or we should learn from Ama Didi Bahini. Our traditional pickling process is different from the rest of the world. We don’t use vinegar or lemon. We try to reduce water content from fruit and vegetable by sun drying, and we marinated roasted spice and cover with mustard oil. This needs special technique and marrying and paring herb and spices with fruit and vegetables to make flavour pickle is key. Mostly fennel, mustard Seeds, Mustard Power, fenugreek leaves, Jwano, Mugrelo are the Key spices.

Nepali fermented radish pickle. MULA KO ACHAR is ultimate Pickle of Nepal especially in mountainous region similarly raw mango is in the Terai region.

Food fermentation has been going around for a generation. This is probably the most famous pickle found across Nepal. The process of making it is like kimchi it’s a chunky slice of white radish (Mula) marinated with crushed mustard seeds, cumin powder, red chilli, turmeric powder, and green chilli.

Pickling, drying, fermenting, and smoking in times of a lockdown, there are many traditional techniques the urban Nepalese can learn from.

Forgotten food of Nepal, Siramla, Sato Khatte, Chiura, Moori, Bhooja which are ready to eat as we need and any time.

• Cooking and making concentrated form is another popular method. Sugarcane juice to Khuda, Lemon, Nibuwa ( Nepalese Sour Fruit from Lemon family ) to Amilo to give longer shelf life.

A history of sun-drying, Masseur, Tyndre Karkalo, Gava is a classic example.

• Smoking: we mostly do for fish, basically we do simple marination and smoking.

Drying is one such technique used across Nepal. “Dry heat might be unbearable, but it is fantastic for preservation.

Fermentation and the sundried process are also popular practice in Nepal such as for Gundruk.

However, the nationwide lockdown has compelled the privileged urban Nepalese to rethink many things. Among them are food, and the significance of food preservation.

Happy Learning !!!