“Lazy thighs, gourmet tongue.” This saying did not become popular among the people for no reason. While we desire delicious food, our motivation to produce it has largely faded.

Recently, Nepali food enthusiasts have started to embrace indigenous cuisine. As these foods are both tasty and healthy, the number of people consuming native and traditional grains is increasing daily from cities to villages. However, the production of such crops is declining in proportion. The trend of farming has decreased as most of the youth workforce has been attracted to foreign employment.

Meanwhile, with rising demand, indigenous cuisine is being prioritized on the menus of everything from city alleyways to large hotels and restaurants. But entrepreneurs say that supply has not kept up with demand.

Don Bahadur Khadka, a farmer from Sisne Rural Municipality–3, says that the main problem behind the decline in indigenous crop production in villages is the inability to produce and preserve original seeds. He emphasizes that local governments need to do more to promote commercial production of these crops.

Although there is high demand for indigenous grains like local rice, maize, millet, buckwheat, barley, beans, Sichuan pepper, and black gram, production has been decreasing every year. To balance this demand and supply, Ani’s Food Industry, a unique local brand, has started processing, packaging, and marketing millet, buckwheat, maize, local lentils and pulses, and other traditional foods from the industrial estate in Amletar, Dhankuta, and distributing them to various districts of Koshi Province. However, its operator Roshan Rai says that even after opening the industry, they have not been able to meet demand. “We are encouraging farmers to grow such indigenous crops to meet demand and sustain the industry,” he said.

In Chitwan, considered the country’s commercial center, demand for organic food in hotels is increasing. Although many hotels and restaurants have opened under the name “Thakali Khana,” customers complain that the food does not match the name. Hotel operators here also admit that they have not been able to serve the dishes as advertised. To serve Thakali cuisine, they struggle to source beans, Sichuan pepper, jimbu, and other ingredients from Mustang.

A group of young entrepreneurs have opened “Limbathakali” in Narayangadh. For this, they bring raw ingredients directly from Mustang. “But it is very difficult to source the necessary raw materials for organic cuisine,” says Krishna Paudel, operator of Limbathakali.
“Nowadays, customers are becoming health-conscious and attracted to organic food, but we are unable to meet customer demand,” Paudel added. “It is not easy to get enough raw materials for this.”

Not only in Chitwan, but in almost all major cities across the country, there is now a trend for indigenous cuisine. In Pokhara, which attracts tourists from various countries, more and more customers are seeking the taste of traditional food over modern menus.

Most hotels and restaurants on Lakeside, a hub of tourist activity, now feature long lists of dishes made from indigenous crops on their menus. But even when sourcing ingredients all the way from Mustang, hotel entrepreneur Biresh Sherchan says it is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain them in sufficient quantities.

“Therefore, if we can conserve our indigenous crops and promote their commercial production, food imports will decrease, employment will be created within the country, and authentic Nepali cuisine will establish a unique identity both at home and abroad,” Sherchan is optimistic.