Kinnaur travel guide

Kinnauri cuisine

Kinnaur district's alpine cuisine—buckwheat (phafra) preparations, aktori cake, dried apricot, locally made chhang (barley beer), dried mutton from the high altitude and walnut oil cooking; specific to HP's highest valley bordering Tibet; available at Reckong Peo and Sangla homestays

Sidu

Kullu Valley's unique steamed wheat bread—leavened with Cannabis sativa wild yeast, stuffed with poppy seeds, walnuts and ghee; baked in a covered pan; soft, heavy and nutty; a Kullu Valley staple that hosts take great pride in making for guests

Aktori

Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti's buckwheat pancake—ground buckwheat (phafra) mixed with water and pan-cooked into thick pancakes; eaten with ghee and milk or apricot preserve; the high-altitude buckwheat of Kinnaur is a different variety from Himalayan and Tibetan buckwheat

Pahadi food

Himachal and Uttarakhand mountain cooking—rustic, warming and reflective of altitude constraints; mustard oil, black sesame, wild garlic, local lentils, gaderi (purple yam) and fresh dairy; the forest and agricultural ingredients available above 1,500m define this cooking

Apple cider

Himachal Pradeshs emerging artisanal product—Kullu-Manali and Kinnaur Valley produce apple cider at small family estates; dry, semi-dry and sparkling varieties from Shimla Hill Ciders and Blyss are available at local estate shops; a pleasant diversion from tea