The valley of the Thakali
Thak Khola is the stretch of the Kali Gandaki valley between Ghasa in the south and Jomsom in the north, a narrow corridor between Dhaulagiri and the Annapurnas. It is the homeland of the Thakali, a small community with its own language, related to Tamang and Gurung, and its own traditions that mix Buddhist, Hindu and older local beliefs. The Tamang Thakali are organised into four clans, Gauchan, Tulachan, Sherchan and Bhattachan, and the clan names are still common across Nepal.
For generations the Thakali have been known for two things above all: trade and hospitality. Both came from the salt road, and both are on your plate when you sit down to a Thakali meal in Tukuche or Kalopani today.
How salt built a valley
Before roads and before iodised salt from India, the people of Nepal's middle hills got much of their salt from Tibet, where it was harvested from dry lake beds. Caravans of yaks, sheep and goats carried it south over the high passes into Lo and down the Kali Gandaki. At points along the valley it changed hands, moving onto mules and porters' backs for the journey into the hills. In return, rice, barley, maize, cloth, sugar and metal goods travelled north.
The Thakali sat in the middle of this exchange. Their villages were natural stopping points, and in the second half of the 19th century leading Thakali families secured from the government in Kathmandu the contract to collect customs duty on the salt trade through Thak Khola. Tukuche became the great market of the route. The large houses you still see there, with carved windows and inner courtyards where caravans unloaded, were built on that wealth.
The trade declined through the 20th century, and after the 1950s, with changes in Tibet and cheap salt arriving from India, it collapsed. Many Thakali families moved south to Pokhara, Bhairahawa, Butwal and Kathmandu, where they became successful in business, hotels and restaurants. Many still return to the valley for festivals and to keep their family houses.
From inn to set meal
Every caravan needs somewhere to sleep. Thakali households along the route ran bhattis, small inns where traders and porters could eat, drink and rest, and Thakali women in particular built reputations as innkeepers and cooks. They learned to serve a large, filling and balanced meal quickly to hungry travellers, with refills until the guest was full.
That meal is the ancestor of the Thakali khana set now served in Thakali restaurants across Nepal. Its core is simple: rice or buckwheat dhido, a bowl of black lentil dal, seasonal greens, a vegetable curry, two or three pickles, and usually mutton, chicken or dried meat. What makes it Thakali is the care in the details: the dal tempered with jimbu and ghee, the sharpness of the timur pickle, and the way the cook keeps refilling until you put your hand over the plate.
A planner can turn what you are reading into days, nights and a price.
What to order
Lodges in Lower Mustang usually serve the set meal as dal bhat on their menu, but ask for the Thakali version and many will prepare it with more care, especially in Tukuche, Marpha and Kalopani. These are the dishes and drinks to look for in the valley.
| Dish or drink | What it is | Where to try it |
|---|---|---|
| Thakali khana set | Rice or dhido, black dal, greens, curry, pickles, meat, ghee | Tukuche, Kalopani, Marpha, Jomsom |
| Phapar ko dhido | Thick buckwheat porridge eaten by hand with dal and meat | Family kitchens in Tukuche and Marpha |
| Kanchemba | Fried sticks or fritters of buckwheat dough, served with chutney | Thakali kitchens on request |
| Sukuti | Dried meat, often mutton or yak, fried with chilli and spices | Jomsom, Kagbeni, Marpha |
| Apple pie and crumble | Made with Marpha apples, a trekkers' favourite | Marpha, Jomsom, Kagbeni |
| Marpha brandy | Spirit distilled from local apples and sometimes apricots | Marpha distilleries and shops |
| Butter tea and tsampa | Salted tea churned with butter; roasted barley flour | Kagbeni and northward into Upper Mustang |
Jimbu, timur and buckwheat
Three ingredients give Thakali food its character. Jimbu is a dried Himalayan herb from the onion family that grows wild and cultivated in the high valleys of Mustang. Its dried leaves are fried in ghee and poured over the dal at the end, giving a smoky, garlicky flavour you will not find in lowland cooking. Bags of it are sold in Jomsom and Marpha and make a light, useful souvenir.
Timur is a Sichuan-type pepper from a prickly shrub that grows in the hills. Ground into pickles with tomato or radish, it makes the tongue tingle and cuts the richness of ghee and meat. Buckwheat, called phapar in Nepali, grows well in the cold, dry fields of the upper valley where rice cannot. It goes into dhido, into breads and pancakes, and into kanchemba, the crisp fried fingers of buckwheat dough that Thakali cooks serve as a snack.
North of Kagbeni, a different kitchen
Walk north into Upper Mustang and the food changes with the culture. The Lobas eat in the Tibetan way: tsampa, the roasted barley flour mixed with butter tea into a dough and eaten by hand; thukpa, a noodle soup; tingmo, steamed bread; and plenty of potatoes. Butter tea, salted and churned with butter, is drunk all day against the cold and dry air. Lodges serve dal bhat as well, but it is worth asking for tsampa and butter tea at least once.
Chhyang, a mild barley beer, and raksi, a stronger distilled spirit, are both made at home. Be careful with alcohol at altitude, especially in the first nights above 3,000 m. In Lo Manthang, if a family invites you in, you will probably be handed a bowl of butter tea that is refilled every time you take a sip. The polite way to stop is to leave the bowl full when you are ready to go. You may also be offered dried cheese, hard enough to suck on for an hour, and fried Tibetan bread with honey for breakfast.
Eating well and fairly on the trail
Food prices rise as you go north, because almost everything arrives by jeep or mule. That is fair, and it supports families who run lodges in hard conditions. A few habits make eating in Mustang easier for you and for them.
- Order the set meal: it is fresh, filling and comes with refills, and the kitchen cooks it every day anyway
- Order together as a group, so the cook can use one fire for everyone
- Choose local foods such as dhido, potatoes and apples over imported packaged snacks
- Fill a bottle with treated or boiled water rather than buying plastic bottles
- Ask before entering a family kitchen, and always accept at least a little of what is offered
- Buy jimbu, dried apples or brandy from the family who made them
Where to eat along the route
Tukuche is our favourite place for a slow Thakali dinner, in one of the old trading houses where the kitchen still sits at the heart of the building. Kalopani and Lete, below the deepest part of the gorge, have lodges known for their set meals and views of Dhaulagiri and Annapurna. Marpha is the place for anything with apples, and for brandy. Jomsom has the widest choice, from Thakali kitchens to bakeries. If you are following the old salt road from Ghasa to Kagbeni on foot, you will eat your way through the whole story in a week.
Ask your guide to arrange at least one meal in a family kitchen rather than a lodge dining room. Watching dhido being stirred over a wood fire, or jimbu crackling in hot ghee, tells you more about the Thakali than any museum.
Questions
What is Thakali food?
Thakali food is the cooking of the Thakali people of the upper Kali Gandaki valley in Mustang. Its best-known form is the Thakali set meal: rice or buckwheat dhido, black lentil dal tempered with jimbu and ghee, seasonal greens, vegetable curry, pickles and usually mutton or chicken, with refills. It developed in inns along the old salt-trade route.
What is jimbu?
Jimbu is a dried Himalayan herb from the onion family that grows in the high valleys of Mustang. Thakali cooks fry the dried leaves in ghee and pour them over dal, giving a smoky, garlicky flavour. It is sold in small bags in Jomsom, Marpha and Kathmandu markets and is a good, light souvenir to take home.
Where is the best Thakali food in Mustang?
Tukuche, Marpha, Kalopani and Jomsom all have lodges that cook good Thakali set meals. In Tukuche you can eat in old trading houses; in Marpha, follow the set meal with apple pie. Away from Mustang, Thakali restaurants in Pokhara and Kathmandu serve the same style, often run by Thakali families who moved south.
What was the salt trade in Mustang?
For centuries, salt from Tibetan lake beds was carried south over the Himalaya by caravans of yaks, sheep and goats, through Lo and down the Kali Gandaki, in exchange for grain and goods from the south. Thakali families controlled much of the trade in Thak Khola, and Tukuche became its main market. The trade collapsed after the 1950s.
What is dhido?
Dhido is a thick porridge made by stirring flour into boiling water until it forms a smooth, heavy dough. In Mustang it is usually made from buckwheat, called phapar. You eat it by hand, pinching off a piece and dipping it in dal, meat curry or pickle. It is filling and warming on cold nights.
Is Thakali food vegetarian-friendly?
Yes. The set meal works well without meat: dal, greens, vegetable curry, pickles and rice or dhido make a complete meal, and most lodges offer a vegetarian set. Ask for ghee or oil as you prefer. Vegans should ask about ghee and butter, which are used widely, especially in butter tea further north.
What is kanchemba?
Kanchemba is a Thakali snack of buckwheat dough shaped into sticks or fritters and deep-fried until crisp, usually served with a spicy tomato or timur chutney. It is not on every menu, so ask in Thakali kitchens in Tukuche, Marpha or Jomsom. It goes well with a cup of tea in the afternoon.
Can I take Marpha brandy home?
Yes, as long as you stay within your home country's customs allowance for spirits. Buy sealed bottles in Marpha or Jomsom and pack them well. Dried apples, apple jam and jimbu travel more easily. Some airlines limit liquids in hand luggage, so pack bottles in checked bags.
Is it safe to eat in Mustang lodges?
Generally yes. Lodges cook fresh food daily, and hot dishes like dal bhat, soup and dhido are the safest choices. Avoid raw salads and unpeeled fruit unless you are sure they were washed in treated water. Drink boiled or treated water. Most stomach problems on treks come from water or hand hygiene, not the food.
