Sikkimese cuisine

Chhurpi

The geography and modes of food production within Sikkim inform the food culture within the state.[2] The economy of Sikkim is largely agrarian.[3] Due to the state's mountainous terrain, much of the land is unsuitable for farming, so terrace farming, particularly of rice, is common. In addition to rice,[4] other cereal crops cultivated in Sikkim include wheat, maize, barley, and millet. Potatoes, ginger, oranges, tea, and cardamom are also cultivated.[5][6] Sikkim produces the most cardamom [7] of any Indian state, about 4200 tons annually.[8] Vegetables commonly grown include tomatoes, broccoli, and iskus.[9]

Although dairy and, to a lesser extent, meat and egg products are common elements of the Sikkimese diet, livestock primarily plays a subsidiary role in Sikkim's agricultural sector. Cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and yaks are raised. 11.7% of people in the rural areas of Sikkim are vegetarian.[10]

In 2016, Sikkim became India's first "organic state" after fully converting its agricultural land to sustainable farming practices.[11]

Tomba is a Sikkimese drink made from fermented millet: warm water is added to the millet and the liquid is consumed.

Fermented foods are an integral part of Sikkimese cuisine, comprising 12.6% of total food consumption in the state. Polling indicates that 67.7% of Sikkimese people prepare fermented foods at home rather than purchasing them. This suggests that most fermentation is done at the household level with the notable exceptions of chhurpi and marchaa (a starter culture for fermentation), which are purchased in markets.[10]

Various fermented alcoholic beverages are produced by the introduction of marchaa to cereal grain and subsequent saccharification and fermentation in an airtight vessel. Millet, rice, and maize are commonly used. The grain is washed, cooked, combined with marchaa, then saccharified in an earthware pot for about 1–2 days, then fermented for 2–8 days.[12] Examples of traditional fermented foods are kinema, gundruk, sinki, maseura, and khalpi. Traditional fermented beverages include chyang, tongba, raksi, and kodo ko jaanr.

Dishes

Sikkimese meals typically follow a bhat-dal-tharkari-achar (Rice-Pulses-Curry-Pickle) pattern.[10]

Gundruk (Dried leafy Vegetable)

Name	Description
Chhurpi	Traditional Himalayan cheese made from buttermilk. Two varieties of chhurpi exist, one being a soft variety that is usually eaten as a side dish, and a hard variety that is chewed.[13]
Dal bhat	Boiled rice and pulses. It is often cooked with onion, garlic, ginger, chili, tomatoes, or tamarind and served with a vegetable tarkari.
Dhindo	Nepalese meal prepared by gradual addition of flour to boiling water.
Gundruk	Nepalese fermented leafy green vegetable. Surplus mustard, radish, and cauliflower leaves are gathered, shredded, then sealed in an earthenware pot and stored in a warm place.
Kinema	Nepalese fermented soybean dish, traditionally combined in a soup with rice, but sometimes served as a side dish with rice or bread.
Momo	Steamed dumpling popular throughout the Himalayas and the Indian subcontinent. This food is usually associated with Tibetan and Nepalese people. It is stuffed with minced meat or vegetable like chayote or cabbage in a roll of dough and then steamed. It is eaten with vegetable or meat soup and tomato achar.[14]
Phagshapa	Nepalese dish of strips of pork fat stewed with radishes and dried chillies.[15]
Sel roti	Nepalese rice bread which is ring shaped and sweet to taste. It is commonly prepared during the Dashain and Tihar festivals.
Sinki	Nepalese fermented vegetable prepared by shredding radish roots and storing them for about a month in a sealed hole.
Shabhaley	Tibetan bread stuffed with seasoned beef and cabbage.
Thukpa	Tibetan noodle soup with vegetables or meat.[16]

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