Gangtok and Sikkim
Then you may fear it is all momos and pork. It is not. A Sikkimese meal is rice, dal, a vegetable curry and achar, and much of what this state eats is vegetarian by nature.
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Meatless by nature
Gundruk is fermented mustard, radish and cauliflower leaves; sinki is radish root fermented about a month in a sealed pit; kinema is fermented soybean. All three are vegetarian, and so is iskus, the local chayote, whose shoots are better than the fruit.
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Dairy
Soft chhurpi, white and mild, goes in with greens, into momos or into a tomato and chilli chutney. Kalimpong cheese is dairy too, so vegans should skip both; momos also come filled with chayote or cabbage.
Photo: Laker
Jain cooking
Jain guests need more notice here, because onion, garlic and root vegetables run through almost every dish. We send each kitchen a written note before you land rather than raising it at the table.
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The pork swap
Where a family menu centers on pork, as at the Gangtok home stove on Kitchens of the Hills, we agree the substitute with the cook a month ahead: kinema curry and iskus. Lal Bazaar shuts on Thursdays, so if dates shift we cook first and shop after.
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The Tsomgo road
Tsomgo Lake sits at 3,753 m (12,310 ft), a long day on a permit road. We pack food for it, and the car carries drinking water along with oxygen and blankets.
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Chilli
The achar is very often dalle, the round chilli, pickled whole, pounded into chutney or eaten raw a bite at a time. Say alikati piro, only a little spicy, before the cooking starts. Any kitchen will hold back the chilli if asked in time.
Photo: Arindam Chowdhury
Before you travel
Vegetarian, Jain, vegan, allergies, no alcohol: tell us when you book. Each hotel, restaurant and home cook on your route gets the brief in writing before you arrive, so you never have to explain at the table.
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