Gundruk is one of the most local food items that Nepalese tend to have. This one doesn’t reflect any culture, unlike the other food items. Gundruk is basically the fermented leaves of spinach, radish, or even cauliflower, which are stored and dried until they are ready to be eaten. A sour taste with the mix of spices gives a flavor that hits right in the taste buds.
Gundruk can be prepared in so many ways. Not only that, it can be mixed with many other vegetables and food items to add flavor to the dish. However, the most common way of preparing a gundruk is to smash it and mix it with spices and hot oil, which finally makes it ready to be served. Most Nepalese prepare their gundruk this way.
From the most local food items discovered for survival to one of the most common food delicacies among the Nepalese, the story of Gundruk is quite fascinating. So how and when was Gundruk actually discovered by the Nepalese?
History of Gundruk
The history of Gundruk takes us back to the time of the unification of Nepal by Prithivi Narayan Shah. There is a saying that Gundruk was first discovered by the people of Kirtipur (one of the ancient Newari towns of Kathmandu) when Prithivi Narayan Shah was on his mission to conquer the ancient Newari town.
Prithivi Narayan Shah, who unified Nepal, did have a hard time conquering Kirtipur. The town located on the hilltop was a great challenge for Shah. It took him a couple of tries with new strategies to finally conquer Kirtipur.
During that time, Prithivi Narayan Shah had made two failed attempts to conquer Kirtipur. He then finally came up with the strategy to create a food blockade in the town. He cut off the food supply and even the water supply to the town. Due to the blockade, people in Kirtipur started to store food items. The locals also stored spinach and other edible leaves, which were fermented. When they finally took it out of the store, those leaves were fermented, and they found out that they were eatable. So, the gundruk was discovered by the people of Kirtipur, which became their food for survival in one way or another.
From a survival food to one of the most popular dishes throughout the country, Gundruk has survived to become one of the tastiest and most unique delicacies of Nepal. Furthermore, it can be prepared alone or mixed with several other food items to add flavor to dishes.
How is Gundruk made?
The most common leaves that are used to prepare gundruk are spinach, the leaves of radish, and the leaves of cauliflower. These leaves are first cut into small pieces and stored in a normal jar with the cover closed in such a way that the air doesn’t pass inside.
The jar is kept, normally in the sunlight, for a few weeks or maybe a month until it gets a dark brownish color and is totally dried. After the leaves are taken out of the jar, they are further dried in the sunlight as per necessity. Finally, it is ready to be prepared.
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