The Lekhali Cookbook Indigenous Food Heritage from the Highlands of Nepal

Food reflects the history of the people. In the course of many millennia, Nepal has seen people move, settle and wander across its vast and varied landscape, from the snowy mountains, to the densely forested hills, all the way along the meandering rivers to the fertile plains. Already 3500 years ago, nomadic peoples from the Tibetan plateau were making their way through the Himalayas, continuously adapting to their surroundings and developing food practices intimately connected to the land. In this way, in the central Himalayas, from the Annapurna to the Manaslu mountains, people moved across the ridges of the mountain ranges and became deeply rooted in the hardy but generous landscape. Taking different migratory routes, they spread into the different regions of Mustang, Baglung. Kaski, Manang, Lamjung, Tanahun and what later became known as Gorkha. In the process, they developed their own distinct cultures and knowledge systems, each with their distinct identities as Thakali, Lopa, Magar, Pun, Chantyal, Tamu or Gurung, Bhote and so forth.