Home to glimmering glaciers, landscape meadows, and a huge variety of flora and fauna, Sikkim is the country’s most popular destination. But apart from natural beauty, the state of Sikkim is also famous for its culinary delights. Sikkim food is a combination of Nepalese, Tibetan, and native Sikkimese food with Maize being the staple produce consumed in Sikkim
If you are in Sikkim, you must try out the famous delectablefamous food of Sikkim. The addition of locally-sourced ingredients and combination of many different flavors make the Sikkimese food items famous all over the country. The food of Sikkim is the perfect blend of taste and nutrition full of spices, which you would surely enjoy on your trip here.
Today in this blog, we have mentioned some of the Sikkim famous food, which are worth giving a try.
11 Sikkim Food Items That You Must Try
Momos
Momos are the topmost eaten item in Sikkim. Momos are dumplings made out of flour dough and have some filling inside. The momos can be steamed or fried and served with a spicy mix of sauces and herbs. In most cases, the fillings consist of meat, cheese, vegetables, etc. Indeed Momos are the famous food of Sikkim, and they have gained wider popularity all over the country.
Originally the momos were made with ground meat fillings, but with the passage of time, a lot of modifications have been made to these dumplings. From Tofu (Paneer) to cheese, now different fillings are being used. Travelers looking for the best momos in Sikkim can visit The Roll House and The Taste of Tibet in Gangtok.
Thukpa
Another traditional food of Sikkim that you must try while on your visit to Sikkim is Thukpa. The dish is a flavorful noodle soup that originated in the eastern parts of Tibet. Almost all the restaurants in Sikkim serve this amazing dish. The noodle soup has the flavors of garlic, chopped onions, and green chilies to give you that spicy taste. Thukpa is quite a popular dish among both vegetarians and non-vegetarians as you can get veg and non-veg thumpa in Sikkim.
Although Thukpa is available in almost all the cafes and restaurants in Sikkim, you must try this dish at a local vendor to have the most authentic taste.
Sha Phaley
Another popular Sikkim food is Sha Phaley, it is a tasty Tibetan dish quite similar to momos. The color of the dish is golden brown and is made of wheat dough, filled with meat, chicken, or vegetables. It is filled with flour and then shaped into semi-circles before frying in hot oil.
Dal Bhaat
Dal Bhaat is a traditional food of Sikkim and is quite popular in Nepal, Bangladesh, and other parts of India also. The combination consists of boiled rice and lentil soup. You can get a variety of lentil soups of different flavors and you can ask for the flavors as per your taste. The mixture of boiled rice and lentil soup is a delight for people and if you look for simple and light meals, then Daal Bhaat is the best food item to try.
Bamboo Shoot Curry
Sikkim’s people love bamboo shoot curry and apply several bamboo shoots to the dishes to give them a rich flavor. For making tasty gravy, the people of Sikkim use processed bamboo. The bamboo shoot curry is locally known as a tama curry. Turmeric powder is also applied to give the dish a rich color and moreover the bitter taste of the shoots is eliminated. The dish tastes awesome when served with a bowl of rice.
Dhindo
Dhindo is another famous Sikkim food that the locals and tourists enjoy. The dish actually originated from Nepal but is quite popular in many parts of Sikkim and Darjeeling as well. The flour mix is added to boiling water, one can also add clarified butter or normal butter. Grains like wheat and cornflour are also used in the making of this dish, which is prepared in an iron pan called Palame Tapke.
Phagshapa
A culinary delight famous among non-vegetarians is Phagshapa. The main ingredient used in the making of this dish is the pork fat, radishes, and red chillies. Initially, pork fat strips are cooked and kept aside. While preparing the stew with radishes and spices, later the pork is added, and to give it a tangy flavor, red chilies are also added. The main USP of this recipe is that the entire preparation is done without oil and just vegetables are used, thereby making it a healthy food choice.
Gundruk and Sinki
Both Gundruk and Sinki actually originated from Nepal. The former is made using the combination of radish leaves and cauliflower and this mixture is cooked with spices and tomato sauce. The dish is then fermented to make it a little sour. Since this dish is rich in roughage and helps one maintain metabolism, so it has become one of the famous dish of Sikkim. Both of these dishes of Sikkim are quite the same in their taste and health benefits.
Kinema Curry
Kinema curry is a favorite food of Sikkim which is consumed with rice. The curry is made of soybeans, which are boiled and later fermented to give a sticky texture. Soybeans, when dried under the sun, make curry look yummy and gives it altogether a different taste. The main thing making this curry special is its unique flavor and it is a protein-rich food. You can enjoy various tastes of the curry due to fermentation. The main ingredients added to give a rich taste to the curry include Turmeric powder, onion, red chili, and tomatoes.
Soybeans when dried under the sun become tastier.
Chupi-Ningro Curry
The local name for Chupi is cottage cheese, and is liked by all the people living here. Churpi-ningro curry is a mixture of different ferns, which are combined with cottage cheese and cooked with onions, tomatoes, chilies, etc. Churpi-ningro curry is quite a common dish among the people of Dzongu in North Sikkim.
Shimi Ko Achar
Shimi ko achar is a type of pickle made of string bean (which is locally known as Shimi) and flavored with green chilies, sesame seeds, and lemon juice. It is among the famous vegetarian food in Sikkim. This dish is served with seal roti (bread).
Conclusion
So these are some of the most famous Sikkim food items, which you can enjoy while holidaying in Sikkim. The list of Sikkimese culinary delights increases with many variations that can be enjoyed all over in the state. So, explore Sikkim’s food and culture by planning a trip to Sikkim with honeymoon Bug.
FAQs About Sikkim Cuisine
Name some of the famous food items of Sikkim?
Some of the most famous traditional food of Sikkim includes Momos,Thukpa, Dal Bhaat, Dhindo, Phagshapa, etc.
Can I get vegetarian food in Sikkim?
Though there are a lot of meat lovers in the region, still you can get vegetarian food here. Gundruk and Sinki are two of the famous vegetarian food of Sikkim.
What is the staple food of Sikkim?
Despite rice being used in most of the dishes in Sikkim, maize is the staple food of Sikkim. People regularly consume meat and dairy products in Sikkim.
Why momos are quite popular in Sikkim?
Momos are an indispensable part of meals in almost every home in Sikkim. These steamed or fried dumplings have fillings of cabbage, mushroom, or meat. They are native to Tibet and Nepal, but even the local Sikkimese is a die-hard fan of this cuisine.
Is Sikkim food spicy?
Generally, the food of Sikkim is regarded to be very spicy and even though this dish contains a lot of spices. The dishes lie pork is cooked with subtle spices, chili, and radish in oil.
Why Sikkim is called an organic state?
The Government of Sikkim started the Organic Mission process in 2003 by stopping the imports of chemical fertilizers in the State. Since then the cultivatable land in Sikkim is organic and farmers here use organic manure.
