Local Food

While you are staying in Manali, pamper your taste buds with the delicious local food recipes and traditional culinary. There are some local restaurants where you can get good local food.

The crops and vegetables grown in the surrounding valleys is the major ingredient of Manali food. The crops mostly grown are paddy, maize, kodra and salyara and are used in the main dishes. Varieties of fruits and vegetables are also available in the market. The traditional Manali meal includes steamed rice, curry or cooked beaten curd, madra (a curd based dish), pulses, and raita (a mixture made of mustard, dry fruits, and sweet rice). During marriages and special occasions, this traditional spread is cooked by a Brahmin cook, known as ‘Boti’, and is served on plates made by leaves. The fairs, festivals, and special occasions are celebrated with delicacies like vada, bhatora, and patrodu.

Manali people also have an abundance of milk and milk-based recipes. Some common drinks found in every local home of Manali are hot milk, curd, butter, ghee, butter, lassi, and tea with lots of milk. Manali is also prominent for its homemade wine made from barley and red rice called Chakti and Lugri.

Don’t forget the pickles! Pickles of apple and lingad are famous in Manali. The apple pickles are made from green apples and are available in the market from the end of July to early August. Lingad, on the other hand, is a local vegetable and is a type of wild asparagus. Both of these mouth-watering pickles are available in any grocery store.

There are also many restaurants and eating joints in Manali, which serve a wide range of delicious and lip-smacking food at considerable prices. The first thing that you will come across is small eateries of momo and goyzas. The Club House in Old Manali is a perfect place for family brunches on Saturdays. These restaurants serving both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food in different cuisines often remain crowded by tourists. If you are a non-vegetarian, trout is a must-try cuisine. Vegan menus and fast food are also available. In the end, satiate your sweet tooth with a wide range of desserts, bakeries, and ice creams.

A small warning! If you love chicken, order it from a proper restaurant. When roaming around the Mall Road, you are sure to find hawkers who prepare chicken recipes right then and there for you. Even though it smells delicious and the price is alluring, try to avoid that. On Manali-Leh Highway, the toilets are 50 or more km apart from each other. So, make sure to stay fit if you have plans to travel further from Manali.

Know More about the Local Foods of Kullu Manali

Stimulate your taste buds with the ethnic food recipes of the beautiful hill station of Kullu Manali. Enjoy the local food of Kullu Manali at some of the best local restaurants. Pamper your soul with traditional Manali meal that includes steamed rice, curry or cooked beaten curd, Madra (a curd-based dish), Dal, and Raita. On special occasions as festivals, fairs, and marriages, Boti, Vada, Bhatora, and Patrodu are served.

You get to eat several milk-based recipes in the town. These include hot milk, curd, butter, buttermilk, lassi, and tea. Manali is famous for its homemade wines Chakti and Lugri made from barley and red rice. Enjoy the tangy pickles of apple and lingad that are part of rich flavors of Manali. These pickles are available in the local grocery stores. Enjoy the lip-smacking food at affordable prices in the local restaurants. Indulge your taste buds in momos and goyzas in the small eateries of the town. Feast on the Saturday brunch at The Club House in Old Manali. You may be a non-vegetarian, vegetarian, or vegan, there is food for all.