Born and raised in the Himalayan Nation of Nepal, Binod Baral is a Head of the Asian Research & Development Department and Innovation Kitchen at the World’s Best Gourmet Entertainment Group. He is a UK Global Goodwill Ambassador nominated by GGA and a co-founder of MOMO&ROTI in London. Baral is also the Brand Ambassador for Gurkha Beer.
A proud British Nepalese chef, he is also a writer, author, and charity worker. He believes in giving back to the community that has always cared for him. He has organized a number of fundraisers and participated in them in order to help those in need. A spice pundit by training, he is an empathetic human being serving humanity with his goodness!
I am so excited to publish Binod Baral’s opinion here:
I’m very proud that I’m from the top of world, Mt. Everest, and, moreover, a chef representing 128 communities. I am a born-in-Nepal, made-in-the-UK chef. I am currently based in Great Britain and work globally.
The country with the strongest trekkers, the Sherpa, the bravest soldiers in the world, the Gurkhas, and coolest people from any religion, the Buddhists. The Himalayas are famous for their high peaks, with more than 110 jutting into the sky at 24,000 ft (7,315m) above sea level. Mount Everest soars to elevations of 29,035 ft (8,848m). We have 8 out of the 10 tallest mountains in the world.
The lowest point in Nepal is 59 m above sea-level in the Terai region.
We are very rich in natural water sources, the second-richest in the world.
The population is about 29 million people, with 2.5 million alone in Kathmandu. The country measures 55,348 square miles and, within this area, 128 communities are settled.
Being a small, landlocked country, the only thing we don't have is the sea.But we do have 10 heritage sites, 7 of which are in Kathmandu valley. What is even more interesting is that all of these 7 World Heritage Sites are within a 12-mile radius. Kathmandu is the city with the highest number of World Heritage Sites in the world, when compared to any other city. These cultural sites have been nominated as World Heritage Sites based on their cultural and natural values.
We have China in the north and the rest of our border is with India. They have most the popular food in world. We are in the middle, so I don't see any boundaries to globalising Nepali Heritage Cuisine. We are the country of yarsagumba, Himalayan Caterpillar Fungus Viagra, Jimbu Himalayan Chives, and Timur Nepali Sichuan Pepper, just to name few things.
Just pick a few national identities from above and connect with food, recipes, and cooking techniques from 128 communities, using produce, pairing and marrying herbs and spices with local organic produce from the Himalayan range, the highest region in the world, whose mountainous part is organic and wild and whose lower part, the Terai region, makes our food not only special, but also unique on the global food map.
And food can be a new tourism product for Nepal!