Sukuti ( Nepali: सुकुटी) is a

dried meat Dried meat is a feature of many cuisines around the world. Examples include: * Kulen Slanina Pečenica * Aliya, sun-dried meat from Kenya * Bakkwa or rougan, Chinese salty-sweet dried meat sheets. * Biltong, a cured meat that originated in ...

product of

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

ese origin, also consumed in the Himalayan regions of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

. It is usually made from buffalo, lamb, or

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the ...

meat. It is a staple dish of the

Limbu people The Limbu (Limbu language, Limbu: ) are a Sino-Tibetan ethnolinguistic group indigenous to the Himalayan region of eastern Nepal, northeastern India and western Bhutan. In India, the Limbus live in the Indian state, states of Sikkim, Assam, N ...

, and is known as ''Sakhekya'' in the

Limbu language Limbu (Limbu: , ''yakthuṅ pan'') is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Limbu people of Nepal and Northeastern India (particularly West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam and Nagaland) as well as expatriate communities in Bhutan. The Limbu refer to the ...

. It was used as a source of protein and also to add variety to the diet during the winter seasons in the mountain areas. Today the food is generally available among mountain communities, and thus can be consumed and sold year-round. ''Sukuti'' is one of Nepal's many meat products; and can be consumed in many ways.

History

During ritual animal sacrifice at

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

s, in the presence of his kin, the priest offers a buffalo before the shrine of the gods. The sacrificial buffalo is smeared with vermillion powder ( abir) The blood sacrifice is given to the

gods A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

, and the head is raised in the sanctuary. The village will then process the buffalo, and as meat is a luxury in remote regions, no part of the animal will go to waste. Some meat is sent to be cooked for dinner that day, and the rest will be dried and processed later into dried strips. In

, people did not always indulge in the meat before a well-off urban life with restaurants and stores. In the difficult winters, this lean

came to the rescue during the supply of food.

Method

To produce sukuti, the meat of any animal or bird is cut into thin strips and the fat is carefully removed. The meat strips hang on the roof above a Chulho (wood fire smoke) to remove any moisture and to give it its distinct smokey flavor. The drying may also create an unpleasant smell, so the strips are often coated with spices such as salt, cumin, pepper, chilli powder and turmeric, sometimes ginger and garlic paste are also used before they are spread on a clean cloth to dry in the sun. This helps the meat to have an intense flavour and kept the insects at bay. Once all of the moisture is removed, and the meat is sufficiently dried, it is considered a finished product. It can also be rehydrated when it is cooked in gravy, however, it is usually consumed dry, or fried in oil.

Making and serving

Sukuti is cooked in the kitchens so long as the

Nepalese people Nepali or Nepalese () are the permanent citizens of Nepal under Nepali nationality law. The term ''Nepali'' strictly refers to ''nationality'', meaning people holding citizenship of Nepal. Conversely, people without Nepalese citizenship but wi ...

dry meat. There are several ways to make sukuti, depending on the taste. The main methods to prepare sukuti among the people of Nepal are deep frying or grilled roasting. To make sukuti, a combination of

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

, pepper,

cumin Cumin (, ; ; ''Cuminum cyminum'') is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native to the Irano-Turanian Region. Its seeds – each one contained within a fruit, which is dried – are used in the cuisines of many cultures in both whole ...

turmeric Turmeric (), or ''Curcuma longa'' (), is a flowering plant in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. It is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that requires temperatures between and high ...

, and chilli powder are browned on roast, then pounded into a blend. The sukuti is then mixed with these spices and fried in oil. Sukuti is versatile, often served with chopped onions and tomatoes, topped with green onions or leaves of coriander. paste. The resulting snack is served as a side dish, an appetizer, or as a side to have whilst drinking alcohol.

References

Nepalese cuisine Dried meat

History

Method

Making and serving

See also

References