Food / Cuisine of Himachal Pradesh

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Food / Cuisine


Himachal Pradesh offers a range of culinary delights to tourists. There is a wide range of lip smacking and savoury food items available to choose from. The cuisine of Himachal Pradesh is influenced by Punjabi and Tibetan styles of cooking. Himachalis are known for their simple lifestyles and are very hardworking. In their daily and regular routine most of them prefer simple dishes that are easy to make and tasty to eat.

One of the most important food items of the people of Himachal is dal or lentil and chawal or plain rice. The simple preparation of rice and pulses provides the daily intake of carbohydrates and proteins, the two important components that help in building a healthy body. Roti or flat bread with any vegetable is also one of the staple food items of the people of this hilly state.

Cooked with wheat flour and savoured with ghee or butter, Sidu is a well known dish of the state. Sidu is generally made at weddings or other festive occasions and consumed mostly in the winter months. It is made both with a savoury or a sweet filling. Patande is a well known dish from the district of Sirmour.

Made from wheat, Patande is like a pancake, popularly known as the Indian Pancake of Himachal Pradesh. Meat is commonly consumed throughout the state. It is generally cooked with whole spices like cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, red chillies and coriander leaves. The aromatic meat is very appetizing and a source of energy in the cold weather of the state.

Himachal Pradesh celebrates the Food festival of ‘Dham’, which attracts several tourists from far and wide. There is a wide variety of food items reflecting the vibrant, dynamic and simple life of the people of Himachal Pradesh.