Newars are the natives of Kathmandu, so where better to taste Newari food other than the capital. Also the Newari cuisine that we are talking about is one of the best and most popular foods in Nepal. Not only the foreigners but Nepalese as well. The Newari cuisine is one of the rich cultural cuisine, which is still a daily lunch of many Newars living in the Kathmandu valley. Trust me you will be surprised when you will find out the varieties of food items that the Newa cuisine have. Well as much as they are proud of their culture, traditions and festivals, they are equally proud of their glorious cuisine because food has been one of the important part of their culture. Some of the food items has their own history as well. They have always been fond of foods. Newa people have so many festivals and special occasions throughout the year and they prepare special foods for special occasions. This is one of the very reason that the Newa cuisine is so rich and lavish.
The typical Newari khaja set is one of the most popular food set that you could find in many small restaurants to big hotels in Kathmandu. The food set which contains beaten rice, buffalo meat, pickles and more is the one which is prepared during the festivals and special occasions in every household of Newa people. Not only on special occasions but also in normal days in most of the cases. This is one of the must try dish while in Kathmandu. It is not only the Newari Khaja set that makes the Newari cuisine popular, there are so many more food items like ‘Samaybaji', ‘wo’, ‘Bara’, ‘Gworcha’, ‘Yomari’, ‘Kwati’ and varieties of meat items prepared in different ways, many more stuffs and to give a digestion to that, they prepare own homemade alcohol and rice beer. The Newari food items are filled with spices that will give you one hell of a taste. These food items are also prepared according to the seasons. Winter or summer they have everything prepared along with the seasonal changes. To talk about the meat items, ‘choila’, ‘Kachila’, ‘Hyakula', ‘Dyakula’, and so many other options to choose from.
Now if you are wondering where to find the best place to taste the Newa cuisine, then there is always one name, Newa Lahana. As I have already mentioned in my previous article, Newa Lahana is the best place to try the Newari food items. It is located in Kirtipur (one of the ancient Newa town of Kathmandu) and this community run restaurant has got every Newari food items and even more than that. The place itself has a Newari vibe which is a perfect environment to explore the culture of the Newa people and their foods. However, you can find Newari food items in different places from small restaurants to big hotels of the capital. There are so many small restaurants owned by Newa people in Kathmandu, so you can find many the authentic taste of the Newari food items in the local restaurants as well. Moving on, ‘Juju Dhau' – the king of yogurts which is made by the Newars of Bhaktapur is one of the best thing to try in Bhaktapur, nobody misses this one. If you ask anyone inside the capital about the best food and drinks in Kathmandu, there will always be ‘Juju Dhau'.
This is just the introduction, there is so much more than this. However if you ask me the best combination to taste from Newari food items, then I would suggest the combination of ‘Aila’ and ‘choila’. ‘Aila’ is the typical homemade alcohol which is very strong and ‘Choila’ is the buffalo meat which is grilled in fire and filled with spices. This is one of the best combination that I could think of. Well, you can choose from the varieties of options. Next time when you travel to Kathmandu, give your taste buds the rich taste if Newari cuisines.
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