Absolutely! Nepal is a developing and largely agricultural society. Of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), which is the monetary value of all finished goods and services produced by the country over a period of time, about 30% comes from agriculture. Over half of the population is directly involved in agriculture. Aside from farming for income, the majority of Nepalis rely on subsistence farming, which means they grow enough food to feed themselves. In other words, most components of this meal grow right in people’s backyards. My host family buys only a very few things, such as sugar and eggs, but our fields grow rice, squashes, fruits, peppers and more. We also buy black tea, but green tea also grows in our yard. If we need milk, then our nearby relative owns a cow and gives us what we need.
This also means that the region in which people live within Nepal dictates which types of rice and vegetables they can grow as well as the types of meat they can find. In Lalitpur, Jyagata, we eat a lot of squashes, potatoes and leafy greens. Typically, if we have meat, chicken is a common choice. When I stayed in Tangting, we mostly ate soybeans with bison or goat meat. While trekking through the Annapurna region, carrots also came across my plate. Finally, down in the south in Chitwan, I ate fish from the river and heavily spiced small snails.
