Food of Ladakh — thukpa, skyu, tsampa and gurgur cha, the butter tea
What to eat in Ladakh: thukpa and momos, skyu and chutagi, tsampa, Ladakhi pulao and tigmo, with gurgur cha, the salted butter tea, and sweet cha ngarmo.
ArticleVerified 2026-10-24
Food of Sikkim and Darjeeling — momo, thukpa, churpi, sel roti and the fermented foods of the Eastern Himalaya
What to eat in Sikkim and Darjeeling: momos and thukpa, churpi cheese, sel roti, gundruk and kinema, and tongba, the millet drink — with what Wikipedia records.
The food of Sikkim and Darjeeling is Nepali, Tibetan, Lepcha and Bhutia cooking on one table. Wikipedia says Nepalese food is popular because Sikkim is the only Indian state with an ethnic Nepali majority, and that Tibetan food has shaped the rest. Rice is the staple. This guide goes by what Wikipedia and the Sikkim Tourism site record, read on 24 October 2026. We name no restaurant, price or rating, because we have none we can check.
Photos: PansanLepcha (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Physics Ramesh (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Momos and thukpa
Momos are steamed filled dumplings, served with a chilli chutney, and sometimes in a soup. Wikipedia says that in Sikkim the common meat fillings are pork, chicken, goat and water buffalo, and that cabbage, carrot, potato, tofu and soft churpi cheese are used for vegetarian ones. It adds that Tibetans who arrived in India after 1959 brought their recipes. In Darjeeling, Wikipedia calls the momo a popular food, with pork, beef, chicken or vegetables and a watery soup beside it.
Thukpa is a noodle soup, eaten in Sikkim, Darjeeling, Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. Wikipedia says the Bhutia and Lepcha usually eat it, and that the hand-pulled kind is called thenthuk. The Sikkim Tourism site also names phagshapa, a pork dish, among its flavours. Read the food of Ladakh for the same soup in another range.
Churpi, the cheese
Churpi, or chhurpi, is made from buttermilk. The soft variety goes into momos, chutneys and soups, and the very hard one is held in the mouth and chewed. Wikipedia says that most Sikkimese families make their fermented foods at home, with churpi and the fermentation starter marchaa as the main exceptions, which they buy in the market.
Fermented foods
Wikipedia says fermented foods make up 12.6% of all food eaten in Sikkim. The traditional ones are kinema, gundruk, sinki, maseura and khalpi.
- Gundruk is fermented leafy greens, made when mustard, radish and cauliflower leaves pile up in October and November, wilted, shredded, packed in a pot and then dried in the sun. Wikipedia says it is served as a side dish or an appetiser.
- Kinema is fermented soybean, a traditional food of the Limbu. It is usually made into a soup eaten with rice, or into a dip or side dish.
- Sinki is another fermented food on the Wikipedia list.
Rice, dal and sweets
Meals follow a bhat-dal-tharkari-achar pattern: rice, pulses, curry and pickle. Wikipedia says that people in Darjeeling often start the day with the same plate. At festivals the sweet is sel roti, a ring of fried rice-flour dough made at Dashain and Tihar. Wikipedia says it is a double ring in Sikkim, Darjeeling and Kalimpong.
Drinks
Tongba is fermented finger millet, served in a pot and sipped with hot water, and Wikipedia says it is the Limbu people's own drink. The list of Sikkim's fermented drinks also names chyang, raksi and kodo ko jaanr. Darjeeling is better known for tea; read our Darjeeling tea gardens guide. The Sikkim Tourism site names the Temi Tea Garden in South Sikkim.
Where to eat them
Start in Gangtok and Darjeeling, and read things to do in Gangtok. Read how to reach Sikkim and Darjeeling from Delhi, the festivals by month and the best time, month by month.
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Questions people ask
What is the traditional food of Sikkim?
Rice is the staple, with millet and fermented foods traditionally a large part of the diet. Wikipedia says Sikkimese meals usually follow a bhat-dal-tharkari-achar pattern, meaning rice, pulses, curry and pickle, and that Nepali, Tibetan, Lepcha, Limbu and Bhutia cooking all feed into it. Fermented foods such as kinema, gundruk and sinki are household staples.
What is churpi?
A traditional cheese of the Himalaya, made from buttermilk, in a soft variety and a very hard one. Wikipedia says the soft kind goes into momo fillings, chutneys and soups, and the hard kind is chewed like gum for 30 minutes to five hours. In Sikkim it is one of the few fermented foods bought, not made at home.
What is tongba?
A millet-based drink of the Limbu people, found in eastern Nepal, Sikkim and Darjeeling. Fermented finger millet is served in a vessel also called a tongba, and hot water is added to it. Wikipedia says that offering it to a guest is a sign of respect, and that it is part of the Limbu wedding.