This document provides information about a lesson on Nepalese cuisine from a health and lifestyle curriculum for teens. It outlines student learning outcomes, perspectives to consider when analyzing Nepalese food including commercial, cultural, economic and environmental perspectives. It also provides stimulus questions for students to discuss Nepalese foods and includes true/false questions and activity suggestions for students related to Nepalese foods like paneer, parwal, bread, and ghee.

1. Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Awesome.2Cents! A Healthy Lifestyle Curriculum for Teens…
Lesson 9, Vegetarianism
Tribal Diet A, Nepali cuisine
Student Learning Outcomes
Identify and use of traditional and contemporary foods native to Nepal.
Develop ways to modify a recipe / meal to include traditional ingredients.
Appreciate and recognize safe preparation techniques and cooking methods.
Gain an understanding of the development of Nepalese food production and
processing techniques from a historical, contemporary and futures
perspective.
Perspectives
Commercial - changes in food preparation techniques to meet the demands of
an increasing market. Large scale food production opportunities.
Community - effects of marketing locally produced foods on communities,
nutritional value of Neplese foods.
Cultural - effects of migration and increased cultural awareness and acceptance
on the Nepalese cuisine and lifestyle.
Domestic -effects of indigenous Nepalese foods in the diet.
Economic - comparative costs of local and imported food products.
Environmental - impact of land degradation, disposal of wastes.
Future - possible and probable future trends.
Gender - investigating the role of women and men in traditional communities.
Global -exploring export markets for Nepalese food products.
Historical - developments in food production, processing and preparation
technologies.
Indigenous- recognizing Nepalese foods and indigenous food technologies.
Industrial - changes in industrial food technologies.
Legal and Political - regulations for the food industry.
The next section includes some stimulus questions for students to discuss after
viewing the program.
Copyright 2012 Pennington Biomedical Research Center

2. Focus Questions
What is 'Nepalese food'?
What do Chiura; Bhuja and Bara have in common?
How have indigenous Nepalese passed on their knowledge about the
nutrition, preparation and use of these foods?
What factors led to the loss of many traditional plant names and uses?
How has the transfer of knowledge about Nepalese foods changed, and is it
likely to change again in the future?
What influenced the types of food eaten by different groups?
What are the benefits of marketing (producing, buying and selling) Nepalese?
Are there any nutritional benefits of using Nepalese foods? Explain.
Who benefits from the marketing of Nepalese foods and cuisine? Explain with
examples.
What aspects of Nepalese life would be different if Nepal had continued to be
a democracy instead of a kingdom for the last few centuries? Give some
examples.
Why do you think Nepalese cuisine and international foods are increasing in
their popularity?
What do you think the Nepalese diet will consist of in 2103?
What are the nutritional benefits of lentils? Why do you think they are not
consumed more in the US?
Copyright 2012 Pennington Biomedical Research Center

3. True / False Questions
1) Nepalese cuisine includes a variety of pickles.
True
Answer:
Pickles (Achar or Chutney), it is one of the crucial groups of food in Nepali
cuisine. Pickles are really different than anything western cuisine has to offer.
They may act as relish, sauce, dressing, appetizer or condiments. Pickles are
considered an essential part of not only Nepali meals. Pickles are one of the
traditional recipes so there are thousands of varieties of pickles. Usually an
ethnic group or family has its own traditional variety of pickles. Nowadays many
varieties of pickles are available commercially in both inside and outside of
Nepal. They are more popular outside of Nepali community settled on west than
in Nepal itself.
Usually pickle is marinated and eaten in small amounts to add flavor to meal. It
can both be fresh or aged. Pickles can be eaten with everything from rice to
burger.
2) Garam Masala is a type of pickle consumed with most meals. .
False
Answer:
Garam Masala is a special spice blend. It is used throughout the South Asia.
Generally, Garam Masala is added in a small quantity at the end cooking to add
a subtle flavor to the dish. It is suggested to that Garam Masala should be
added in small quantities, or else it will overpower the dish.
Many different kind of Garam Masala is found depending on the region and the
personal taste . A standard Garam Masala can be found easily in international
section of any big groceries store or in any Indian or South Asian stores. The
most common way of making Garam Masala is given below.
3) Paneer is a type of bread.
False
Answer:
Paneer is a fresh and delicate cottage cheese or milky cheese rich in nutrients
made from low fat milk in Nepal and India. Making it involves long and
complicated procedures. Paneer is made by curdling milk, tying the residence in
cloth and placing under pressure to solidify. Paneer is versatile dairy product in
its usage because it can be used to make sweets, snacks or vegetables. Paneer
is a type of cheese.
Even though making paneer is difficult, with experience, one gets better with it.
If the first time results are not good, do not give up, please try again.
Copyright 2012 Pennington Biomedical Research Center

4. Teachers can select from these student activities.
Activities
1 ) Discuss the nutritional benefits of Parwal (Pointed gourd). Investigate how
they were used. What vegetable group do they belong to?
Answer:
Parwal (Pointed gourd) is widely available throughout the South Asia. Parwal can
be is cooked in variety of ways such as a boiled for soups and stews, curried or
fried. Parwal is highly regarded as good source of nutrition and digestibility.
Parwal soup is traditionally prepared for sick people in Nepal.
Parwal is perennial plant belonging to same group as cucumber and squash.
Currently, most of the Parwal in the United States is imported and thus making
it a very expensive vegetable costing as high as $7.00 a pound.
2) How is bread eaten in Nepal? Is it prepared and consumed in a similar
manner as in the US? Identify how the Nepase prepare and eat bread.
Answer:
There are several varieties of bread. Roti, is unleavened bread made with fine
whole wheat flour and cooked on a hotplate. Naan is leavened bread baked in
clay oven. It is eaten with most curries. Paratha is whole wheat flat bread, layer
of butter & baked on the oven. Bread are fairly simple tasting and are usually
eaten with spicy meat or vegetable dishes.
3) What is Ghee? Investigate the significance of food Ghee in the Nepalese diet.
Prepare an oral or computer presentation about the use of ghee and the
preference of it over vegetable oils.
Answer:
Ghee or Gheu is a clarified butter without any solid milk particles or water. Ghee
is used in Nepal, India and throughout the South Asia in daily cooking. Pure and
good quality ghee adds a great aroma, flavor and taste to the food.
Ghee can be great assets for people who are on low fat diet since even a lower
quantity of ghee can add lot of flavor to the food than any other oil or fat
products. According to the ancient Ayurveda, a moderate amount of ghee is the
best cooking oil.
Ghee can be generally found in the Ethnic section of any big grocery store or on
any South Asian store.
4) The region in which people lived mainly determined the diet of Nepalese.
What types of grains do the Nepalese use in their diet? Does it vary depending
where they live?
Consider:
How the food was gathered and prepared.
Who gathered or hunted?
Copyright 2012 Pennington Biomedical Research Center

5. Role of women?
How the knowledge of the environment, food and cooking was passed on.
How the food was named.
Any traditional eating pattern that was specific to that region.
5) Investigate two Internet sites or recipe books to find some Nepalese recipes.
Examine the photographs, images, style, language and presentation. Consider
how these websites and books reflect a changing attitude towards indigenous
foods? List the websites.
Copyright 2012 Pennington Biomedical Research Center