Culinary Bond

Written by Mashal Usman • November 2010

7-1 Food has a way of uniting people the way no other bond can. In fact in all cultures some dishes become so very intrinsic to a particular region or people that they become a part of their social fabric, and the very thought of visiting those people or that region without having tasted it becomes blasphemous. Those of you who have had the pleasure of tasting the mouthwatering Nepalese Momo while on a trip to the region know what I mean when I say that the dish reaffirms the individuals’ faith in humanity’s culinary prowess.

The exact origins of the dish are unknown. Since it is quite popular among the Newar community of Kathmandu valley, one of the many prevalent myths regarding its origins is that Newari traders brought it from Tibet. They modified the dish with local ingredients and gave it a Nepali name. Others believe that it was introduced to the Nepali cuisine culture by Tibetans who settled in the mountains of Nepal. The fact that the dish is quite similar to the Mongolian buuz and Chinese jiaozi and it also has strong similarities with the Russian pelmeni and the Italian Ravioli adds further to the confusion regarding its historical roots.

Momo making is in itself an art as the dough has to be folded a certain way. Made with simple flour-and-water dough, with meat and any or all of onions, shallots, garlic, and coriander added along the way, this delicacy when finally prepared is quite a transcendental experience. It was a dish that originated in households while also being prepared for festivals and celebrations and had quite a lot of significance as a dish that brought people together in joy as well as suffering. Another reason why it becomes such an important aspect of Nepalese culture is that it becomes a joint family activity; the whole family participates in its making. It is only in recent Nepalese history that the global transformation in food culture has taken the dish out of the household domain and made it a part of the eating-out culture in Nepal. In fact it has now become a part of the street culture and Momo eating competitions in footstalls along the streets of Khatmandu are not an unfamiliar sight.

The renowned dish at some point in history spread beyond Nepalese borders and now the Momo is made in many of the surrounding counties. However, these regions do make an effort to add their particular flavor to the dish tweaking it here and there and making the final flavor entirely their own. The Indian momo for instance adds pickles and chutney to the dish giving it a spicy aroma. The fact that many regions in South Asia partake of this delicacy gives it symbolic and cultural significance for a much wider region than Nepal in particular.