About Sikkim
We will talk about Food of Sikkim but strat with a short iformation of Sikkim, capital: Gangtok is in Northeast of India, has Bhutan, Tibet, and Nepal by its borders. Sikkim is a part of the great Himalaya Mountain and has Kangchenjunga which is India’s highest mountain at an altitude of 8,586 m.
Indeed, it is home to the alpine meadows, the huge variety of wildflowers, and the glaciers. It also has Pemayangtse, which aides back to the long old early 1700s Buddhist monasteries are also at the hilltop and they cross this steep path to go there.
Most importantly, Sikkim is a well-known area that has attracted tourists from all over the world. Added to this is the exquisite spots, rich culture and the food available here is also unique, which attracts tourists much more about this place.
To tell the truth, Sikkim is a small state in the northwest of India, which is very famous not only for its authenticity but also for the exotic delicacies. It has very famous exotic cuisines, which are a unique feature of the inherited culture from the food menus of Nepal and Tibet. Sikkim has its traditional food influence from its neighboring countries: Bhutan, Nepal, and Tibet.
The food available in the West of Sikkim is not very much spicy, yet it is very much fresh and delicious. It is because of the agrarian communities living there in a large number. The flavors of Sikkimese cuisines are subtle and basic, which uses much quantity of chilly, turmeric, cumin, garlic, and onions.
Sikkim is also popular for fermented drinks along with various foods because of its high altitude and chilly climate. The Indian food basic is also available here and rice is the primary food. While there are some options for vegetarians, the area is full of meat-loving people, so they will enjoy this.
The various foods famous in Sikkim are:
1. Thukpa:
Thukpa is a very well-known Sikkimese egg noodle dish that originated from Tibet. We also know it as Gya-thuk. It contains vegetables or meat in a meat-based broth and is spicy. It is mixed with soup and flavored with vegetables which are crumbled. Chopped onion, green chilies, and Garlic add spice flavor to the noodles. It is much liked by both local ones and tourists. It is available in all the eateries or restaurants in all the areas of towns.
2. Momos:
These are dumplings for the Tibetans, which are found in cafes and restaurants easily in Sikkim.
It is one of the traditional foods of China and Nepal. Momos are available in various types which are deep-fried momos, steamed momos or boiled momos and contain cheese, vegetables, paneer or meat-anything from these. It is delicate to bland in taste. They serve it on a plate of eight to nine with a red chili paste which is famously known as a sauce as an added flavor for the side contiment with momos. They serve momos with soups, which are famous only for eating with it.
In Pelling, the Momos with Cheese items are very famous as the filling which is very much buttery and soft.
3. Yak Cheese:
The Yak cheese is higher in nutrients, protein and fat and is creamier than the cow's cheese. In the Great Himalayan Mountains at the high altitude areas, we can find yaks. Many regions of Sikkim will have yak hardened cheeses cut in the shape of cubes, yak cheese candies, good in taste for mountaineers, sherpas and local people. It is popular in one of the famous cafe restaurants, Yoksum. The yak cheese has a slightly rubbery, smoky texture with onions, garlic, peppers, and tomatoes. It is also one of the favorite dishes of Sikkim.
4. Sha Phalley:
It is a dish that originated from the Tibet region. It has ground beef and cabbage with stuffed bread, made into semi-circles and are deep-fried so it gets a brownish texture. From inside, it is soft while from outside it is crunchy. It tastes very good with some soup and chutney.
5. Chhurpi with Ningro Curry:
It is a Sikkimese dish made of Fiddlehead ferns. In the hills, there are varieties of ferns available which the locals love to have. This curry is a mixture of Fiddlehead ferns fried and mixed with chhurpi which is a piece of cheese.
6. Chhurpi Soup
It is one food available in Sikkim that is traditional and made of cottage cheese for serving to the people visiting there. This soup is sour, which is because of the use of cheese in it. The texture of this soup is soft, which helps in eating it easily. To add a special taste it uses to this soup in it. At last, they garnish the soup with leaves of coriander which makes it more
delicious and attractive.
7. Gya Kho:
Sikkim’s one of the local mouth-watering dish is Gya Kho. It is a cuisine of Tibet region which adopted for its extraordinary taste by the Sikkim region. They cook it under coal, which makes it more special with a lot of delectable ingredients included in it. They serve it in a bowl that resembles the chimney. The soup arrives in the
chimney.
8. Sinki Soup:
This is a popular fermented food of Sikkim and it is similar to gundruk. They make it with radish root tap or fermented bamboo which has gone through bacteria curing process and fermentation, for pickling. This soup is sour because of the fermentation done to it. They do not serve this dish at restaurants and hence made only at home.
9.Chaange:
Chaange is a brewed beverage that is an alcoholic. It is a local beverage made from rice, fermented millets, and yeast. It is very potent and people serve it in and sip through a pipe made of bamboo. The other name of Chaang is Thomba, which is the foremost item of Millet. This dish is a fermented form of Millet. The people do it with the help of yeast. It is a local beer.
10.Thenthuk:
The origin of this dish is from the Tibet region. They make it up of mutton or meat, wheat flour, vegetables and is in the form of noodle soup. The vegetable Thenthuk is healthier than other foods, many people serve it. To make the soup spicier, many restaurants use chili powder. Thenthuk is one of the favorites dinners for the people of Sikkim.
11.Kodo Ko Roti:
Sikkim has adopted this food from Nepal as this is a local Nepali cuisine which is very famous in Sikkim as a portion of local food. It is in best taste with Tomato Achar than other side dishes. For making the pancake, Finger Millet is the main ingredient used to make the pancake. Besides the millet flour, the pancake also has a sweet taste. It can serve with many varieties of pickles.
12. Shimi Ko Achar:
They make it of a string bean and is a local dish. Shimi is the name of a local vegetable String Bean. The sesame seeds enhancer flavor is available in it. It tastes good when accompanied by Seal Roti. To add a spicy nature in it, they use sliced green chilies. To add sourness flavor in it, they use lemon juice which makes the flavor of this pickle more enhancing to the string beans.
13. Sael Roti:
This is a Nepalese origin food. It is a soft pretzel made from fermented rice batter, local a flavor which is ring-shaped. They fry it deeply until it gains the perfect moisture and color. People eat sael roti during special occasions and festivals. This is doughnuts, crispy and crusted which add to its taste to a more wonderful one. They serve it with tomato chutney and can serve the purpose of a good snack. It tastes good when served along with some potato curry.
14. Paneer Cheese:
Sikkim exports the finest cheese to international countries. Sikkim Alpine Cheese Spread is one of the particular ones. People transport cheese globally, which raises the standard of cheese. It is popular in West Sikkim.
15. Tea of Sikkim:
Since Temi tea garden in Sikkim sales tea for making tea, tea is very famous in the Sikkim region. Throughout Sikkim, it is available since it is a traditional local dish of that region. They serve The tea here in local cups, which draws the attention of the tourists along with the other dishes.
16. Kinema Curry
It is a food made of fermented soybean, sliced tomatoes, and spices. Before adding the fermented soybean, people add some flavored items to enhance the taste of the fried food. Some flavored enhancers are onion, turmeric powder, tomato, and red chili. It is a Sikkimese curry which is traditional and is rich in proteins. It has a unique taste, and they take almost all rice items with it. They serve it as a meat substitute. The Sikimmes used them later for curries, soups, and pickles.
17. Tama Curry
They also call this dish the Bamboo shoot curry. Rice is the staple dish of Sikkim. They use many varieties of curries based on the taste and favorites of the people living in that region. For cooking this delicious curry, they use fermented bamboo. The major ingredient used in this curry that removes the shoots bitter taste from it is turmeric powder.
18. Masaurya Curry:
This dish is analogous to Wari, a famous Punjabi dish. It is a Nepali cuisine, too, which is a Sikkim’s favorite local dish.
It has a spicy condiment that looks like a ball. The main ingredient used in its formation is a fermented black gram.
19. Gundruk Soup
It is a vegetarian soup popular in Sikkimese households, but we can also find it at the restaurants. It serves as a good purpose during the winter or chilly seasons. They compose it of tomatoes, garlic, fermented vegetables and onions. They make it by crumbling and dying the leaves of mustard oil, radish plant, cauliflower and cook and spice them and spiced with tomatoes and onions. The look of it is very delicious.
20. Tibetan Bread
Tibetan bread comes in different styles and sizes. It is a good Skillet flatbread with a thick, soft inside and a hard outer crust. It has a hint of olive oil and the flavor is very basic. Many side dishes give it more flavor to make it more filling. They can serve it best for trekking trips as a filling staple.
21. Lassi:
Lassi is an Indian dessert drink which is very popular among its people for its sweet flavored fermented yogurt drink. It comprises a mixture of milk, Dahi and spices, bits of fruit or sugar occasionally. Lassi has very good probiotics in it.
22. Phagshapa:
It is a strip of pork fat and glazed with dried chilies and radishes. They cook strips of fat pork separately and later stewed it with the radishes. The spiciness in this dish is because of the effect of red chilies.
23. Mesu:
People have willingly taken the dish of this curry, which is irresistible. Bamboo shoots are the foremost ingredient used in making this dish. They use fermented bamboo shoot with pork to make it another form of pickle, which is acidic and sour. It is a resultant from the dish Limbu parlance.
24. Jaanr:
It is one of Sikkim’s traditional local beverages. It is available in many varieties such as Makai ko Jaanr, Simal turn ko Jaanr, Bhaate Jaanr, Jahun ko Jaanr and Gahun Ko Jaanr. The names used here vary because of the different ingredients and raw materials used in it such as barley, maize, wheat, and cassava root.
To tell the truth, all these above dishes or recipes are among some of the local food of Sikkim and they are becoming popular day by day among the tourists from all over the world. Most importantly, they are becoming the face of Sikkim’s cuisine. Moreover, the most important fact is that the state is the only state in India which is famous for its 100% organic farming. Besides, it ensures pure and healthy meals for all.
Actually, the food of Sikkim deals with a diverse but delicious experience. Nevertheless, we have to discover a lot more in Sikkim and to be more precise, its cuisine.
Sikkim has a rich culture which is very famous for its non-veg dishes, sweets, and its rich inherited culture. They adopt many dishes from their neighboring countries Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan. It has good recipes for tourists and the local people. All the different foods available in Sikkim are of good taste, and we can also see a rich inherited background of these dishes. Overall, we can say that Sikkim is rich in its food and culture. If you want to know more about Sikkim trip here is a pocket guide to SIKKIM.