Food · Devghat
Chaku, til and tarul: winter festival foods
Taste the foods of Maghe Sankranti at Devghat and in Narayangadh: chaku molasses sweet, sesame til laddu, boiled sweet potato and tarul yam, eaten in mid-January to warm the body at the turn of winter.
Food is central to Maghe Sankranti. Families believe the cold of Poush must be balanced with warming, rich foods, so they eat ghee, molasses, sesame and root vegetables. At Devghat during the mela, stalls pile up chaku, a hard brown sweet made by boiling sugarcane molasses with ghee. Each family has its own preferences, and the foods differ between hill and plains communities.
Til laddu are balls of roasted sesame bound with jaggery, sold in paper bags. Sweet potato and tarul, a large yam, are boiled and eaten with salt or a little ghee. Some families add spinach and ghee rice, and in Tharu homes nearby the day brings dhikri and meat curries for Maghi. Tarul is boiled until soft and has a starchy, slightly sweet taste.
Outside the festival, sweet shops in Narayangadh sell til laddu and chaku through the winter. Your guide can help you buy some to take home, though chaku can be very hard; break off small pieces and let them soften in your mouth. Til laddu travel well in luggage; chaku can soften in heat, so keep it cool.
Good for
Questions
What is chaku?
Chaku is a hard, dark sweet made by boiling sugarcane molasses, sometimes with ghee and nuts, until it sets. It is eaten in Nepal at Maghe Sankranti in mid-January and is believed to warm the body. You can buy it at stalls and sweet shops during the festival.
Why do Nepalis eat sweet potatoes at Maghe Sankranti?
Root vegetables such as sweet potato and tarul yam are harvested in winter and considered warming foods. Eating them with ghee and sesame at Maghe Sankranti is a tradition across Nepal, marking the move from the coldest month toward longer, warmer days.
Can I buy Sankranti sweets outside January?
Some sweet shops in Narayangadh and Kathmandu sell til laddu and chaku through the winter months, but the widest choice is in the weeks around Maghe Sankranti in mid-January. Outside winter they are harder to find. Ask your guide to point out a good shop.
Also in Devghat
More ways to spend the day
SpiritualDawn with pilgrims at the confluence
Arrive at first light to watch pilgrims bathe at the meeting of the Kali Gandaki and Trishuli, offer water to …
HeritageSuspension bridge and ashram walk
Cross the long suspension bridge between Chitwan and Tanahun, then wander the lanes of temples, ashrams and small houses on …
SpiritualMaghe Sankranti mela at Devghat
On the first day of Magh, usually 14 or 15 January, Devghat hosts one of Nepal's largest melas. Pilgrims bathe …