Nepal, Sept. 29 -- Tharu community

Deepika Chaudhary from Itahari, Sunsari, shares that food is at the heart of every celebration in the Tharu community. During festivals, people often gather to enjoy dishes like Ghonghi (snails), andik bhaat or sticky rice, and telpaur roti, a fried bread made by mixing rice flour with hot water and then deep frying it in oil.

One of their unique delicacies is sidhara, prepared from taro or colocasia stems, dried fish, and spices. The ingredients are ground together, shaped into small cakes, and sun-dried for future use. When cooked into a curry or soup, sidhara releases a strong, fermented aroma that makes it stand out. There's also a variation that Deepika recalls vividly.

Colocasia leaves and stems...