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DINING ON THE ANNAPURNA CIRCUIT |
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DAL BAT:
is the
main staple diet of most Nepali people.
"Dal Bhat" which
consists rice (bhat), lentil soup (dal) and vegetables in curry (tarkari)
and/or meat
(masu) and a small
amount of pickle (achar). Food may be served in a metal plate
divided into separate compartments called "Thal" or simple
plate. Nepali food is eaten in generally eaten by chunking
everything together with the right hand.
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SPICES: The food around the circuit is often cooked by young Nepalese with little cooking experience. It ranges from bland to tasty. I always add my own garlic & spices as most tables have only salt, pepper, sugar, ketchup and green chili sauce. |
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BREAKFAST: On the rare occasion when I eat breakfast on the trek I order an omelet and a chapiti (similar to a tortilla). I roll up the omelet in the chapiti and eat it on the go. Omelets are generally just scrambled eggs fried on both sides with a trace of some item like cheese or garlic. |
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FRIED NOODLES: My standard meal on the east side of the circuit (not generally available on the west side). On almost every menu on the east side it is different in every guest house/hotel. It is made from a variety of noodles in different restaurants. | |||
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FRIED RICE: My standard meal on the west side of the circuit. It is generally available on both sides of the circuit. It ranges from ghastly to pretty good. The best I had (in photo) was at MUSK DEER VALLEY in Kobang. | |||
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SPRING ROLLS: Not exactly like in your local Chinatown! But, the concept is the same....veggies (and noodles) rolled up in a wrapper and fried. Served, of course, with green chili sauce. | |||
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APPLE PIE: Not what you might expect. It is spiced apple slices fried in a dough. Usually takes a while to get this favorite of Bill's. |
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APPLE CAKE & APPLE CRUMBLE: Available at many restaurants and bakeries around the circuit. |
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STEAK: Meat is generally not available because of the lack of electricity 24 hours a day. The main exceptions are the XANADU HOTEL in Jomson and the HIMALAYA HOTEL in Totaponi. After out yak ride up the mountain we spent two nights in Jomson dining on great yak steaks. The best steak of the trip this time was hands down the beef steak at the HIMALAYA HOTEL in Totaponi. For the second time in a row I would vote to pass the steak at the Everest Steak House in Pokhara (not the same cuts the Everest Steak House in Kathmandu uses). |
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PIZZA:
Pizza is on a lot of menus around the circuit. It is
cooked on a pan on a gas burner not in an oven. In many places
it consists of dough with too much sauce floating on top. And
despite what I have read on other websites, it isn't Monterey Jack
cheese, it's yak cheese.
Hands down the best pizza on the circuit is in the Himalaya Hotel in Manang. This trip I carried in a pack of sliced pepperoni that needed no refrigeration. With a little help the cook made us some outstanding pizzas with pepperoni, Thai garlic, mushrooms and yak cheese. |
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ALCOHOL: Beer & spirits are generally available all the way around the circuit. As a general rule we don't drink if we are walking the next day. (Sometimes we break the rules). This time we actually got ice in the XANADU HOTEL in Jomson and the HIMALAYA HOTEL in Totaponi. | |||
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Yak Chili? |
SOME SAMPLE MENUS | Typical East Side Menu | ||
| Typical West Side Menu | ||||
| Large menu from MUSK DEER | ||||
| Meera Hotel in Pokhara | ||||
