Food · Zuluk

An evening by the homestay stove

Spend the cold evening in the family kitchen, where the stove is warm and dinner is cooked in front of you: rice, dal, seasonal vegetables, often chicken or eggs, and endless cups of tea. The best way to hear how Zuluk lives.

Zuluk2,800M

Photo: Surajit Roy · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

After dark Zuluk goes quiet and cold, and the warmest place in any house is the kitchen. Most homestay families are happy for guests to sit by the stove while dinner is made. You will see how rice is cooked in a pressure cooker at altitude, how dal is tempered, and how greens or squash from Rongli market become a simple side dish.

Meals are filling and plain rather than elaborate: rice, dal, a vegetable curry, pickle and, for non-vegetarians, chicken or eggs. Breakfast might be puri and potato curry, bread and omelette, or noodles. If you ask the day before, some families make momos or thukpa. Tea comes whenever you want it.

This is not a cooking class with recipes on cards; it is a family kitchen, so help if invited, stay out of the way if not, and say thank you. It is also the best time to ask about the weather for tomorrow and the state of the road to Nathang, information that changes faster than any website.

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Questions travellers ask

Before you book

What food is served at Zuluk homestays?

Home-style meals: rice, dal, a vegetable curry and pickle, with chicken or eggs for non-vegetarians. Breakfast is usually puri, bread and omelette or noodles. Momos and thukpa are sometimes made on request. Supplies come up from Rongli, so choice is limited; tell us ahead about any dietary needs.

Can we drink alcohol at Zuluk?

Some homestays allow it and a few shops sell beer, but we advise against alcohol on your first night at this altitude: it worsens dehydration and can hide early signs of altitude sickness. If you drink, do so lightly on your second night, and respect the house rules of your hosts.

Is drinking water safe at Zuluk homestays?

Families usually serve boiled water, which is safe. Carry a refillable bottle and ask your hosts to fill it with boiled water each morning; it cuts plastic waste on the Silk Route. Packaged water is sold in shops but can run short, and plastic bottles are a growing litter problem here.

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The Zuluk guide

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