Local Cuisine

Local food of Himachal Pradesh is delicious and lip smacking. Cuisines of Himachal Pradesh are spicy; so, grab a glass of water before you start eating. There is Punjabi and Tibetan influence in the kind of food prepared. However, in their daily routine, the local people prefer to have dal, vegetable curry and plain rice. If you are a foodie then cuisines of Himachal Pradesh will surely tempt you. Varying from vegetarian to non-vegetarian food, to the food prepared during festivals, the Himachal Pradesh cuisines has to offer a lot to everyone. Besides you can also enjoy the traditional Himachal cuisine, sweets and desserts with the variety of tea preparation from the famous restaurants and hotels of Himachal and know about how to cook the famous delicacies during the cuisine festivals of Himachal Pradesh or join our cooking program.

Himachal is a cold land where the upland climate dominates. That is why the cuisine of Himachal Pradesh is modified in the manner that it provides heat and energy to the people, to the maximum. Due to the cold weather meat is preferred by all. But in the different region of the state, the cuisine differs. Rice, Paddy and maize is the basic food of people, but the use of spice is liberal and dominant. Meat is prepared with lots of spices like cinnamon, red chillies, cloves, cardamom and coriander leaves. The tempting aroma is enough to satiate your appetite. Kullu Trout, Grilled Fishes, Chicken Anaardana are the popular non-vegetarian dishes. Vegetarians can try Guchhi Mattar, Sepu Vadi and Kaddu ka Khatta, some of the special delicacies of the state. 

Sidu is a popular cuisine of the state, made of wheat and savoured with butter. Considered a special delicacy it is usually prepared on significant occasions. Patande is yet another popular dish of Sirmour district of the state. Patande is made from wheat and is similar to a pancake. In places like Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti, people prefer locally-grown coarse grains such as, millet, buckwheat and barley. Dham is a special festive meal, prepared by Brahmins, who are hereditary chefs. The meal includes rice, green lentil broth and red kidney beans cooked in yoghurt, boor ki kari, and dark lentil and sweet rice. 

Due to the highland culture, that encourages cattle rearing, a wide variety of milk products too are consumed. Tea is also an indispensable part of Himachal food, as the ways and types of tea preparation method practiced by the people, is vast. The list of popular food in Himachal Pradesh is endless. Besides, the traditional food, one can also find the prevalence of South Indian as well as international cuisine in Himachal Pradesh, while momos and pastas are consumed with equal delight. Enjoy popular cuisine tours of Himachal Pradesh to enjoy the most famous food in Himachal. The best time to enjoy Himachal Pradesh cuisine is during the festivals, when the conventional cooking methods are taken over by mouth watering and elaborate culinary delight. Dham, is a traditional festive meal, that is cooked only by botis (a particular stream of chefs who are brahmins). It is an elaborate meal and the preparation begins a night before. It starts with rice, moong dal and a dish of Rajma cooked in yoghurt. This is followed by Boor ki Kari and a dark lentil. This elaborate cuisine ends with the mittha of sweet rice. Besides Dham, there are other preparations that are famous during the festive season. You should try the Ankalos, that are made of rice flour while Aktori, a kind of cake, is prepared by mixing leaves of buckwheat with wheat flour in the dry areas of Lahaul and Spiti. Then, there is Patande which is a type of pancake dish, an exclusive of Sermur region of Himachal Pradesh.