Food is an essential part of many cultures and Nepali cuisine certainly has a lot to offer. Within Nepal there are people from many different communities. Most of the Nepali people living in Bhaktapur are from the Newari community, so a lot of the foods I have tried have been Newari. Two of my favorite foods, juju dhau which means "King of Yogurt" in the Newari language and bara, lentil pancakes, are traditional Newari foods.
When most people think of Nepali cuisine, the first thing that usually comes to mind are momos, Nepali dumplings filled with meat, vegetables or cheese. I definetely eat a lot of momos here and I will certainly be on the look-out for good momo places when I return to the US.
However, Nepali people don't usually eat momos every day. Typically they eat dhal bhat, a dish with lentils and rice. People will also include tarakari (cooked vegetables), aloo (potatoes) and achar (pickled vegetables, like cucumber and radish). Side note: I eat achar with everything here! Food in Nepal usually isn't that spicy; but sometimes, the green chillies in the achar can be HOT!
The last thing I'll mention is chiura, beaten rice, a dried out flattened rice eaten with other side dishes; especially during festival times in the Newari culture.
