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When a person travels, they collect memories. But when a food enthusiast travels, they collect local ingredients that can help revive and relive the stories of their journeys through food. Traveller's Pantry is a series by Slurrp through which tourists travelling across the states of India will find indigenous gems that they can stock up on, take back home and learn more about India’s regional cuisines. This series will walk you through some of the best ingredients that India’s states have to offer, especially through the experienced hands of local chefs, experts and vendors, taking you on a true culinary safari of the nation.
When you search about Himachal Pradesh, you see the mesmerising view of the snow-capped Himalayan range. Surrounded by natural beauty and rich flora and fauna, the state is a paradise for adventure enthusiasts in winter and offers a getaway from the heat in summer. While most people would only concentrate on the scenic beauty, waterfalls, adventures, and tourist spots, a foodie also explores the local cuisine and food.
The cuisine of Himachal Pradesh is one-of-a-kind and shares similarities with the surrounding state. While you can relish authentic dishes when you are exploring elevations and steep slopes, you can bring home the taste of Himachal Pradesh by buying locally sourced fruits, vegetables, spices, and other food items.
To help you stock your traveller’s pantry with the indigenous flavours of Himachal Pradesh, Slurrp connected with Chef Nidhi Sharma, a social media content creator and among the finalists in MasterChef India season 8; Mohinder Singh Walia, owner of Walia Pickles; Siddharth Lakhanpal, co-founder of Buraansh; Himanshu Khagta, owner of Qurost Farms; Sunila Thakur, private secretary to director of ICAR - Directorate of Mushroom Research; and Digvijay, owner of Inderprastha Apple Orchards. Here is what you can buy from the state and the best places to purchase the food items.
Mushrooms
Do you know Solan, Himachal Pradesh, is called the ‘Mushroom City of India’? This is because ICAR - Directorate of Mushroom Research leads mushroom farming here. Chef Nidhi Sharma and Sunila Thakur stressed that if you love mushrooms in your dishes, you must definitely stock up on a variety cultivated and sold in the state. The organisation is responsible for taking the production to new heights. Their team has used advanced technologies to grow different types of mushrooms, including buttons, oysters, and shiitake. You can also find mushroom pickles here.
Shop Name: Mushroom Society Of India
Address: National Hwy 22, Chambaghat, Himachal Pradesh 173213
Contact: 0179-2230451
Price: Rs 100 per kg for button and oyster, Rs 200 per kg for shiitake
Non-Vegetarian Pickles
Image Credit: Wikipedia
Have you heard of pickles made of chicken, mutton, and fish? You will find people in mountain regions relishing a variety of non-vegetarian pickles. Mohinder Singh Walia runs a small shop, where he sells these pickles flavoured with Indian spices and locally sourced ingredients. He offers chicken and mutton pickles with and without bones that you can bring home and enjoy for a month. Fish pickle has a shelf life of two months.
Shop Name: Walia Pickles
Address: Kalka Shimla highway, sec -6 parwanoo deli, Mohinder Walia Pickles, Parwanoo, Himachal Pradesh 173220
Contact: 9882150011
Price: Rs 300 per kg for chicken pickle with bones, Rs 800 per kg for boneless chicken pickle, Rs 1000-1200 per kg for mutton pickles (with bone and boneless), and Rs 1000 per kg for fish pickle
Rhododendron Squash
Image Credit: Siddharth Lakhanpal
Rhododendron is a special flower found in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh. Siddharth Lakhanpal says that the locals use it to make squash, chutney, and other items because it has cooling properties. The flower is loaded with zinc and antioxidants as well, making it healthy for consumption. “It has a flavour and colour similar to rose syrup, but it is healthier,” adds the co-founder of Buraansh.
Shop Name: Buraansh
Address: Lakhanpal Medical Store, Set 5, above Shop 17-18, Boileauganj, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh 171005
Contact: 8800946097
Price: Rs 190 per 500 ml for rhododendron squash
Apples
Image Credit: Digvijay
In India, explorers can find apples in hilly areas because the fruit needs chilling hours (exposure of plants to low temperatures during dormant periods in winter) in the temperature range from 0°C to 7°C. Depending on the variety of apples, the number of hours can vary between 800 to 1500 hours to grow and flourish. Digvijay, who owns an apple orchard, says that people will find trees in Himachal Pradesh loaded with apples from July to October. He mentions that people in the state get high-quality plants imported from the US, UK, and Italy. “These are short plants that bear fruits within a year in comparison to Indian varieties that can take between 10-12 years to bear fruits. This has helped increase the production in the state in comparison to Jammu & Kashmir,” he adds.
Shop Name: Inderprastha Apple Orchards
Address: Village Bishri, Tehsil, Theog, Himachal Pradesh 171222
Contact: 9815020878
Price: Rs 280-400 per kg for apples (depending on the variety)
Stone Fruits
If you are planning to travel to Himachal Pradesh, you can purchase a variety of stone fruits, like strawberries, peaches, apricots, plums, raspberries, blackberries, and more. Chef Nidhi Sharma and Himanshu Khagta urge tourists to purchase these apart from apples. Khad owns a farm where he grows stone fruits without any chemicals.
Shop Name: Qurost Farms
Address: Patsari - Mandhol Rd, Nakrari, Himachal Pradesh 171206
Contact: 9816031114
Price: Rs 250 per kg for apricots and peaches
Apple Jam
Image Credit: Siddharth Lakhanpal
Siddharth Lakhanpal said that since apples are grown in abundance in Himachal Pradesh, they make jam with it. One of the best things is that the jam has locally sourced ingredients. It is healthy and can be paired with toast, bread, and other food items. Buy this and serve it to your guests to give them a taste of Himachal Pradesh. You can present the jam jars as souvenirs.
Shop Name: Buraansh
Address: Lakhanpal Medical Store, Set 5, above Shop 17-18, Boileauganj, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh 171005
Contact: 8800946097
Price: Rs 300 per 400 gm for apple jam
Dehydrated Fruits
Himanshu Khagta and Chef Nidhi Sharma also suggested tourists purchase dehydrated fruits since they have a longer shelf life than fresh and juicy fruits. From dehydrated apricots to plums and pears, you can buy a variety of fruits and store them in your pantry for months.
Shop Name: Qurost Farms
Address: Patsari - Mandhol Rd, Nakrari, Himachal Pradesh 171206
Contact: 9816031114
Price: Rs 250-300 per gm (depending on the variety of stone fruit)
