Taste of Nepal

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The Traditional Sweets of Nepal - (Part 4 of 4)

by Jyoti Pathak

Enjoy the Traditional Sweets of Nepal - मिठाई हरु, गुलियो खाना

This is the last part of pictorial tour of Mithai Pasal - a photo blog of Nepali sweets
Take another virtual tour (part 4 of 4)

The Traditional Sweets of Nepal - (Part 4 of 4)

Gulmari Sweets - गुल-मरी - (crunchy glazed and shaped like a thin noodle) - Most of the locally made Newari traditional sweets in this blog are from Suresh Balami's sweet shop, The Yetkha Mithai Pasal, located south of Nardevi temple in Kathmandu. In this picture, Suresh is showing me how to prepare Gulmari, which is a combination of rice flour, urad beans flour, clarified butter and sugar. The gulmari batter is first shaped into a thin noodles, then deep-fried and glazed. Below is the picture of Gulmari after it is glazed.

The Traditional Sweets of Nepal - (Part 4 of 4)
Fini or Phini - (फिनी)
Fini or Phini - (फिनी)
Chimti - (चिम्टी) - flower shaped flaky bread especially made during Dashai, Tihar-Bhai-Tika, and other religious festivals.
Chimti - (चिम्टी) - flower shaped flaky bread especially made during Dashai, Tihar-Bhai-Tika, and other religious festivals.
Triangular shaped yellow Nimki - ( निम्की)
Triangular shaped yellow Nimki - ( निम्की)
Aiti Mari - (ऐति मरी) - variation of Laakha-Mari
Aiti Mari - (ऐति मरी) - variation of Laakha-Mari
Variation of Khaaja or Nimki - खाजा - निम्की (more decorative and festive)
Variation of Khaaja or Nimki - खाजा - निम्की (more decorative and festive)
Layered Pastry - a variation of (Khaaja, Fini, Guleo Nimki, Panjabi - खाजा, निम्की, फिनी, गुलीयो-निम्की, पन्जाबी) made especially for Tihar festivals.
Layered Pastry - a variation of (Khaaja, Fini, Guleo Nimki, Panjabi - खाजा, निम्की, फिनी, गुलीयो-निम्की, पन्जाबी) made especially for Tihar festivals.
Extra decorative touch of Khaaja Roti - (खाजा रोटि) - traditionally served along with other traditional Bhai-Tika food items. Tihar-Bhai-Tika is a festival which is observed to honor brothers by sisters.
Extra decorative touch of Khaaja Roti - (खाजा रोटि) - traditionally served along with other traditional Bhai-Tika food items. Tihar-Bhai-Tika is a festival which is observed to honor brothers by sisters.
Guleo Roti, (Fried Pastry Rings) - गुलीयो रोटि - glazed and sprinkled with shredded coconut
Guleo Roti, (Fried Pastry Rings) - गुलीयो रोटि - glazed and sprinkled with shredded coconut
Variation of Khaaja or Guleo Nimki
Variation of Khaaja or Guleo Nimki
The Traditional Sweets of Nepal - (Part 4 of 4)

Traditional Bhai-Tika Sweets - a variety of Fini Bread. "Bhai tika: The fifth and last day of Tihar is Bhai tika, a day where sisters put “Tika” on the forehead of brothers, to ensure long life, and thank them for the protection they give. To begin the ceremony, sister draw mandaps or boundaries at a designated place. The sister then perform Puja of the deities. After this, brother is given a seating on a mat for the tika ceremony. Sisters apply a special ‘Colorful Tika‘ on the forehead of their brother. Following the custom, sister worships for her brothers long life and draws a boundary (mandap) around her brothers with oil using dubo grass. This interesting tradition is symbolic of the belief that no one including Yama can cross this line of protection guarded by a loving sister. Brothers also bless their sisters with a happy life and give them presents (usually money)..... Source - Adventure & News from Himalayas....click here to continue reading....

Another variation of Fini bread
Another variation of Fini bread
Rose shaped Fini breads made from wheat flour, butter or shortening oil, coloring, water and sugar.
Rose shaped Fini breads made from wheat flour, butter or shortening oil, coloring, water and sugar.
The Traditional Sweets of Nepal - (Part 4 of 4)

An assortment of Traditional sweets for sale - They are especially made during Bada Dashai, Laxmi Pooja, Bhai-Tika, Maghy Sankranti, Chaitay Dashai and other important festivals. Bijaya Dashami is the longest and most important festival falls around the late September-October. It is a day of victory over demons.

The Traditional Sweets of Nepal - (Part 4 of 4)

Display of traditional Nepali Sweets for sale during the festival time .... "Traditional sweet-making in Kathmandu Valley is a complex sociological matter that brings together art and tradition. Births, marriages, birthdays, deaths and other cultural and social occasions require a mind-boggling variety of sweets with particular shapes and ingredients, each symbolic of certain norms and beliefs. And these might differ among the many sub-clans within the Newar communities. A real sweet-maker needs to know all of this-this is not a tradition that forgives negligence".......Click here to read more story of Gobinda Das Rajkarnikar.

These traditional fried treats are especially popular during religious festivals such as Vijaya Dashami, Deepawali, Bhai-tika and Tihar.
These traditional fried treats are especially popular during religious festivals such as Vijaya Dashami, Deepawali, Bhai-tika and Tihar.
Watching, asking questions, and observing inside the local traditional sweet shop (Mithai Pasal) - a century-old way of life-style still continuing inside....
Watching, asking questions, and observing inside the local traditional sweet shop (Mithai Pasal) - a century-old way of life-style still continuing inside....
Glazed Gulmari roti
Glazed Gulmari roti
Sel-Roti - (Rice Bread). To read more about sel-roti, please click this link.
Sel-Roti - (Rice Bread). To read more about sel-roti, please click this link.
Gosuta Mari (glazed twisted mari bread) - Absolutely melts in your mouth.
Gosuta Mari (glazed twisted mari bread) - Absolutely melts in your mouth.
Images of traditional sweets - There are main five ingredients making these sweets - flour, clarified butter, sugar, water and oil for deep-frying.
Images of traditional sweets - There are main five ingredients making these sweets - flour, clarified butter, sugar, water and oil for deep-frying.
A great savory pastry - dough is rolled into cylinders and cut into 6-inches pieces, deep-fried and glazed.
A great savory pastry - dough is rolled into cylinders and cut into 6-inches pieces, deep-fried and glazed.
Maalpuwa Roti
Maalpuwa Roti
Variation of sugar-glazed Mari breads comes in various sizes and shapes - circles, spirals, braids , diamond- shape, or simply small squares.
Variation of sugar-glazed Mari breads comes in various sizes and shapes - circles, spirals, braids , diamond- shape, or simply small squares.
The Traditional Sweets of Nepal - (Part 4 of 4)

Gaura-Mari - a round, fried puffed pastry and glazed

Who are Rajkarnikars? - "The Rajkarnikar are a Newar clan, the original inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley, which is Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, its sister city, Lalitpur, Patan, and Bhaktapur. The Rajkarnikar clan are also called halwais or palma halwais. The traditional Rajkarnikar occupation is making candy and sweet confections, known as "mithai". Although slowly declining in number, hundreds of Rajkarnikar sweet shops, or mithai pasals, can still be found in the Kathmandu Valley and in other cities and towns with established Newar communities"........ continue reading............Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajkarnikar.

This is the last part of pictorial tour of Nepali sweets. I hope you had much fun as I had putting together the virtual tour of Nepali sweets. Please drop me a few lines in the comments section of the blog. Your comments and feedback are important and I would love to hear from you.

Traditional Sweets of Nepal - (Part 1 of 4) Traditional Sweets of Nepal - (Part 2 of 4) Traditional Sweets of Nepal - (Part 3 of 4) Traditional Sweets of Nepal - (Part 4 of 4)
Sweets of Nepal Index

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