1. People and Culture
The People of Sikkim consist of three ethnic groups, that is, Lepcha, Bhutia and Nepali. Communities of different hues intermingle freely in Sikkim to constitute a homogenous blend. Hindu Temples coexist with Buddhist Monasteries, Churches, Mosque and Gurudwara. The predominant Communities are Lepchas, Bhutias and Nepalese. These myriad Cultures has produced a quintessential Sikkimese Culture that encompasses all ways and walk of life, but has also managed to preserve their own identity. These can also be seen in the various places of Worship, Festivals and Cultural dances that are celebrated through the year.
2. Folk Dance
3. Sikkimese Cuisine
Hot steamed flour dumplings filled with minced meat, cheese or vegetable, accompanied by homemade chili sauce and piping hot soup. Yes, we are talking about the Momo, the most commonly available food in Sikkim. From roadside shacks to the most expensive restaurants, you will find Momos on every menu. Another popular and easily available item is the Thukpa or Gya-thuk, a typical Tibetan style noodles in soup, based with vegetables or meat.
But Sikkimese cuisine is much more than just Momos and Thukpa, with every community having their own special way of cooking, using ingredients typical to them. This results in a wide variety of dishes, each with a unique taste and flavor.
The Nepalese prepare a special kind of bread, mostly during festivals called the Saelroti. This is prepared from fermented rice batter which is deep fried in a ring shape and eaten with potato curry or meat or simply by itself.
Fermented food, in fact, is an important element of many Sikkimese dishes.
Chhurpi, a fermented dairy product prepared from cow milk with a mild sour taste is used for making soups and Achar. It is often used with Ningro, a wild fern to make a most exotic combination.
Kinema, a fermented soybean food, rich in protein and with a unique flavor is eaten with rice while Gundruk and Sinki are two traditional fermented vegetable products which are sun dried after fermentation and stored for consumption. These are later used for soups, curries and pickles.
Bamboo shoot is another commonly used ingredient in local food. This can vary from fresh bamboo shoot called Tama, which is often used with pork to make an irresistible curry to Mesu, a traditional fermented bamboo shoot product used to make pickles.
But the most exotic local dish is surely Sishnu Soup, prepared from leaves of edible wild varieties of nettle.
Accompanying the food often is Chaang, a fermented cereal-based alcoholic beverage. It is sipped from a bamboo receptacle using a thin bamboo pipe. The receptacle which has millet in it is topped with warm water a few times until the millet loses its flavor. No visit to Sikkim is complete till you try this atleast once.
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2. Folk Dance
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Different communities living in Sikkim have their own folk dances to celebrate their life. The performing arts like folk dances of Sikkim combine all the components of folk culture, namely folk songs, folk musical instruments, traditional dresses, make up and folk dance, and thus exists both in time and space. Most of the folk dances are performed as an essential aspect of the festival. Hence, most of the dances are either ritualistic or simply celebrative. Some folk dances are associated with agriculture operations and some are celebrations of the birthdays of Gods/Goddesses or mythological celebration. Many folk dances although can be performed at any time of the year or at any occasion, like the purely recreational dances, according to the tradition they are performed on particular occasions or festivals. |
3. Sikkimese Cuisine
Hot steamed flour dumplings filled with minced meat, cheese or vegetable, accompanied by homemade chili sauce and piping hot soup. Yes, we are talking about the Momo, the most commonly available food in Sikkim. From roadside shacks to the most expensive restaurants, you will find Momos on every menu. Another popular and easily available item is the Thukpa or Gya-thuk, a typical Tibetan style noodles in soup, based with vegetables or meat.
But Sikkimese cuisine is much more than just Momos and Thukpa, with every community having their own special way of cooking, using ingredients typical to them. This results in a wide variety of dishes, each with a unique taste and flavor.
The Nepalese prepare a special kind of bread, mostly during festivals called the Saelroti. This is prepared from fermented rice batter which is deep fried in a ring shape and eaten with potato curry or meat or simply by itself.Fermented food, in fact, is an important element of many Sikkimese dishes.
Chhurpi, a fermented dairy product prepared from cow milk with a mild sour taste is used for making soups and Achar. It is often used with Ningro, a wild fern to make a most exotic combination.
Kinema, a fermented soybean food, rich in protein and with a unique flavor is eaten with rice while Gundruk and Sinki are two traditional fermented vegetable products which are sun dried after fermentation and stored for consumption. These are later used for soups, curries and pickles.
Bamboo shoot is another commonly used ingredient in local food. This can vary from fresh bamboo shoot called Tama, which is often used with pork to make an irresistible curry to Mesu, a traditional fermented bamboo shoot product used to make pickles.
But the most exotic local dish is surely Sishnu Soup, prepared from leaves of edible wild varieties of nettle.
Accompanying the food often is Chaang, a fermented cereal-based alcoholic beverage. It is sipped from a bamboo receptacle using a thin bamboo pipe. The receptacle which has millet in it is topped with warm water a few times until the millet loses its flavor. No visit to Sikkim is complete till you try this atleast once.