Dhading, December 26, 2016: You might have had varieties of momos: Chicken Momo, Buff Momo, Veg Momo, etc. But, you might get surprised if you get to know that banana momos are also made. The Dhading Fair ongoing in Dhadingbesi has seen a crowd of people gathered to taste banana banana dumplings.
Momos made from raw banana has attracted the attention of all in the fair. Chitwan Banana Producers’ Association (CBPA) has given a rare opportunity to the visitors in the festival to taste dumplings with banana fillings, along with banana chips, and chutney made from banana blossom.
For vegans, banana momo is even tastier, say people who have had the momo in the fair. “We have tasted various other momos, but had only heard that momos are also made using banana fillings. I got to have it today itself, and found it to be of very different taste, and spicy,†said Lalita Shrestha of Dhadingbesi, who was found having banana momos and chips.
The crowd had gathered as the banana items: momo, chips, and chutney were new things for the visitors and was provided at a fair price in the festival. Momos amounting more than Rs. 55,000 are sold daily in the event, said Tilak Prasad Bhatta of CBPA.
He further informed that in a day, more than 700 visitors eat momos, and a similar number of people eat chips, pakoda and chutney. Sanjaybabu Bhatta, the other member of the association said that tasting of banana items, considered good for health was organized, to give a message that bananas can be eaten not only after it is ripe, but also raw.
In a festival in which gundruk, mas ko dal, and dhindo were expected to be main attractions, banana items have been of special focus to the visitors. Keshav Prasad Panthi from District Agriculture Office opines that the value of banana would be higher that if it could be taken in a commercial way, and not limiting it to such fairs.
By Shankar Shrestha
This article was originally published in NagarikNews. Read the original article in Nepali here.
