Dal Bhat
Last week I left you with a cliffhanger regarding a menu item that, if ordered, includes unlimited extra servings. This week, let me introduce you to Dal Bhat. Dal Bhat is easily the most popular dish in Nepal and is a large part of Nepalese culture and tradition. I’m not kidding when I say that locals very happily eat it 2-3 times a day, 7 days a week.
If you’re unfamiliar with Dal Bhat, imagine a large silver platter placed in front of you, containing a beautiful assortment of different foods. While every restaurant puts their own spin on the dish, most of the platters we encountered included lentil soup, boiled green vegetables, a delicious potato or cauliflower curry, a spiced tomato chutney, white rice and a piece of papad, which is a round crunchy bread/cracker. Meat is available as well, but was not recommended at high altitudes.
The initial platter already contained a fairly large amount of food, but to my delight, when an item ran low an eager host would arrive to ask if I wanted more of that item. Still have curry but out of rice? More rice! Still have rice but out of soup? More soup! I usually went for an extra serving of rice, soup and/or curry, and was typically plenty full after that.
I was curious about this tradition, and from the questions I asked and the subsequent research I’ve done, it sounds like it is their very delicious way of showing respect, generosity and hospitality to their guest, whoever they may be. And I think that’s beautiful.
"Always give without remembering and always receive without forgetting."
-Brian Tracy
