Momo (food)

{{Infobox food

| name = Momo

| image = momo_nepal.jpg

| caption = A typical serving of a plate of momos with sesame yellow sauce and red ginger chilli pickle

| alternate_name = མོག་མོག, मःमः

| place_of_origin = Tibet, Nepal

| associated_cuisine = Tibetan cuisine, Nepali cuisine

| main_ingredient = White-flour-and-water dough; meat, vegetable

| variations = Steam-momo, Kothey momo, Jhol momo, C-momo, Fry-momo, Open-momo, fried momo, chicken-momo, veg-momo, buff-momo, cheese-momo, khuwa-momo, chocolate-momo

| calories = 350 to 1000 (35 to 100 per piece)

| similar_dish = siddu, jiaozi, guotie, xiaolongbao, baozi, mantou, buuz, gyoza, mandu, manti

| other =

}}

Momos{{Efn|Some speakers of South Asian English use "momo" as the plural form.}} are a type of steamed filled dumpling in Tibetan{{cite book |last1=Kleeman |first1=Julie |last2=Jampa |first2=Yeshi |title=Taste Tibet: Family recipes from the Himalayas |date=2022 |publisher=Murdoch Books |isbn=9781911668428 |url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61257714-taste-tibet |access-date=2023-05-05 |archive-date=2023-05-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230505195903/https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61257714-taste-tibet |url-status=live }} and Nepali cuisine{{cite book |last1=Shah |first1=Santosh |title=Ayla: A Feast of Nepali Dishes from Terai, Hills and the Himalayas |date=26 April 2022 |publisher=DK |isbn=9780241535776 |url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57925922-ayla |access-date=2023-05-05 |archive-date=2023-05-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230505195900/https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57925922-ayla |url-status=live }} that is also popular in neighbouring Bhutan, Bangladesh, and India.{{Cite web |title= The Interesting Story Of How Momos Came To India|first=Kritika|last=Pushkarna | work=TIMESOFINDIA.COM |date=2021-11-23|url= https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food-news/the-interesting-story-of-how-momos-came-to-india/etphotostory/87782672.cms |access-date= 12 May 2023 |archive-date= 24 April 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240424041031/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food-news/the-interesting-story-of-how-momos-came-to-india/etphotostory/87782672.cms |url-status= live }}{{cite web | title=How Momos are becoming a street food staple in Dhaka | website=Dhaka Tribune | date=2023-11-02 | url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/business/329878/how-momos-are-becoming-a-street-food-staple-in | access-date=2024-09-27}} The majority of Tibetan momos are half-moon in shape like jiaozi, while Nepali momos are normally round like baozi.{{cite web|url=https://www.tibettravel.org/tibetan-food/tibetan-momo.html|first=Kham |last=Sang|title=Tibetan Momo, A Kind of Exotic Dumpling in Tibet|work=Tibet Travel|date=2023-06-10}}{{unreliable source?|date=June 2024}}{{Cite web |date=2021-12-07 |title=Momos! The Tibetan dumplings that the world is besotted with |url=https://gulfnews.com/food/momos-the-tibetan-dumplings-that-the-world-is-besotted-with-1.1638862535966 |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=gulfnews.com |language=en}} Momos are usually served with a sauce known as achar influenced by the spices and herbs used within many South Asian cuisines. It can also be used in soup, as in jhol momo and mokthuk.

Origin

"Momo", as written, is a phonetic transcription of the Tibetan word མོག་མོག ({{bo|w=mog mog}}, {{IPA|bo|moʔ˩˨.ˈmoʔ}}). It is possible that this Tibetan word is borrowed from the Chinese term momo (馍馍),{{Cite web |title=The Origins of the "Barbarian Head" {{!}} EATEN |url=https://www.eileenguo.com/mantou |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=Eileen Guo |language=en-US}} a name traditionally used in northwestern Chinese dialects for wheat steamed buns and bread. The word mo (馍) itself means wheat flour food products or mantou (馒头), steamed buns.{{Cite web |title="馍"字的解释 {{!}} 汉典 |url=https://www.zdic.net/hans/%E9%A6%8D |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=www.zdic.net |language=zh-cn}} Historically, Chinese names for steamed buns did not distinguish between those with or without fillings until the term baozi (包子) emerged during the Song Dynasty between the tenth and thirteenth century.{{Cite web |title=燕翼诒谋录 - 维基文库，自由的图书馆 |url=https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hans/%E7%87%95%E7%BF%BC%E8%A9%92%E8%AC%80%E9%8C%84 |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=zh.wikisource.org |language=zh-Hans}} However, in eastern regions of China such as Jiangsu and Shanghai, mantou continues to carry both meanings in modern day.{{Cite web |title=菜包占比超过肉馒头苏州人吃包子口味紧跟时尚_我苏网 |url=http://www.ourjiangsu.com/a/20190702/1562056749986.shtml |access-date=2023-06-17 |website=www.ourjiangsu.com |archive-date=2023-06-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230617180629/http://www.ourjiangsu.com/a/20190702/1562056749986.shtml |url-status=live }} The history of dumplings in China shows that dumplings were popular during the Southern and Northern dynasties (420–589 AD). Dumplings dated between 499 AD and 640 AD were found in the Astana Cemetery in northwestern modern-day China.{{cite journal | pmc=3447823 | year=2012 | last1=Chen | first1=T. | last2=Wu | first2=Y. | last3=Zhang | first3=Y. | last4=Wang | first4=B. | last5=Hu | first5=Y. | last6=Wang | first6=C. | last7=Jiang | first7=H. | title=Archaeobotanical Study of Ancient Food and Cereal Remains at the Astana Cemeteries, Xinjiang, China | journal=PLOS ONE | volume=7 | issue=9 | pages=e45137 | doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0045137 | pmid=23028807 | bibcode=2012PLoSO...745137C | doi-access=free }}{{cite web | url=http://collection.sina.com.cn/cqyw/20120127/090953724.shtml | title=新疆出土现时我国最早的饺子_藏趣逸闻_新浪收藏_新浪网 }}

It is generally believed that the concept of dumplings was carried from China by the Mongols in the 13th century.{{Cite web |date=2016-10-13 |title=Georgians have the Mongols to thank for their favourite dumpling |url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/2027750/georgians-have-mongols-thank-their-favourite-dumpling |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}} As for the Himalayan momo, similar to the history of Korean mandu, the history of momos in Nepal dates back to as early as the fourteenth century.{{Cite web |title=WORLDFOOD - Momo: Nepal's Most Popular Food |url=https://www.slowfood.com/blog-and-news/worldfood-momo-nepals-most-popular-food/ |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=Slow Food |language=en-US}}{{Cite web| url=https://neweverestcuisine.com/news/f/the-history-of-momo-the-king-of-fast-food-dumpling| title=The history of MOMO (The king of fast food-Dumpling)| access-date=2023-01-16| archive-date=2023-01-21| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230121042730/https://neweverestcuisine.com/news/f/the-history-of-momo-the-king-of-fast-food-dumpling| url-status=live}}{{better source needed|date=July 2023}} It is not quite known whether it spread from the Kathmandu valley of Nepal to Tibet or the other way around. Because this dish was initially popular among the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal, one prevalent belief is that traveling Nepali Newar merchants took the recipe from Tibet, where they traded, and brought it home to Nepal.{{Cite news|url=http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2016-09-17/juicy-love-affair.html|title=A Juicy Love Affair|last=Sijapati|first=Alisha|date=September 17, 2016|access-date=September 22, 2016|work=The Kathmandu Post|archive-date=September 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923103121/http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2016-09-17/juicy-love-affair.html|url-status=dead}} Some argue that momos were introduced in Tibet by a Nepalese Newari princess who was married to a Tibetan king in the late fifteenth century. since in the Newar language, mome ({{langx|new|मम}}) means cooking by steaming. In Tibet, the filling of the dish was typically meat, such as yak and occasionally potatoes and cheese. Traditional Tibetan momos are quite different from the Nepalese one as the former was made with a thicker dough and with little to no spices except salt.

After arriving in the Indo-Gangetic Plains, the meat was more often chicken, and mixed vegetable momos were introduced to feed the large population of vegetarian Hindus.{{cite book|first=Lynelle|last=Seow|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8s6iDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT202|title=CultureShock! India|date=15 January 2017|publisher=Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd|isbn=978-981-4771-98-6|pages=202–}} A large number of Tibetans emigrated to India following the 1959 Tibetan uprising, bringing their recipes for momos with them. Unproven, but substantiated by the dates and references to momos in colloquial references, the civil war in Nepal pushed out the Nepali diaspora to seek a livelihood in India, which further increased the prevalence of Himalayan style momos in the southern half of India especially in the cities of Chennai and Bangalore.

File:Dumplings of Gilgit.jpg

Production

File: Plateful of Momo in Nepal.jpg

File:Making mo-mos pastry.jpg, United States]]

The earliest Tibetan dumplings were made of highland barley flour as the outer covering, and beef and mutton as the stuffing.{{Cite web |title=山南礼物丨"包"你好吃! |url=http://lyfzj.shannan.gov.cn/zjsn/tsms/202112/t20211217_95625.html |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=lyfzj.shannan.gov.cn}} Nowadays, a simple white-flour-and-water dough is generally preferred to make the outer covering of momos. Sometimes, a little yeast or baking soda is added to give a more doughy texture to the finished product.

Traditionally, momos are prepared with ground/minced meat, potatoes, and leek filling. Nowadays, the fillings have become more elaborate and momos are prepared with virtually any combination of ground meat, vegetables, tofu, mushrooms, paneer cheese, soft chhurpi (local hard cheese) and vegetable and meat combinations.

Meat: Different types of meat fillings are popular in different regions. In Nepal, Tibet, Sikkim, and Bhutan common meat fillings are pork, chicken, goat and water buffalo. In the Himalayan region of Nepal and India, lamb and yak meat are more common. Minced meat is combined with any or all of the following: onions/shallots, garlic, ginger and cilantro/coriander. Some people also add finely puréed tomatoes and soy sauce.{{cite web|url=http://www.himalayanlearning.org/the-himalaya/food-momo.php|title=Momo recipe|publisher=Himalayanlearning.org|access-date=April 6, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201133109/http://www.himalayanlearning.org/the-himalaya/food-momo.php|archive-date=December 1, 2008|url-status=dead}}
Vegetables: Finely chopped cabbage, carrot, soy granules, potato, flat bean (lilva kachori) or chayote (iskush) are used as fillings in Nepal.
Cheese: Usually fresh cheese (paneer) or the traditional soft chhurpi is used. This variety is common in Eastern Nepal.
Khoa: Momos filled with milk solids mixed with sugar are popular as a dessert in the Kathmandu Valley.

The dough is rolled into small circular flat pieces. The filling is enclosed in the circular dough cover either in a round pocket or a half-moon or crescent shape. People prefer meat with a lot of fat because it produces flavourful, juicy momos. A little oil is sometimes added to the lean ground/minced meat to keep the filling moist and juicy. The dumplings are then cooked by steaming over a soup (either a stock based on bones or vegetables) in a momo-making utensil called mucktoo. Momos may also be pan-fried or deep-fried after being steamed.

Variations

Momos are traditionally steamed but can also be deep-fried or pan-fried and cooked in soup. It is usually served with chilli garlic sauce and pickled daikon in Tibet. In Nepal, popular dipping sauces include tomato-based chutneys or sesame or peanut or soybean-based sauces called achar. Sauces can be thick or thin in consistency depending on the eatery.{{cite web |last1=Williams |first1=James |title=Momos Chutney Recipe |url=http://recipickr.com/559/momos-chutney-recipe/ |website=Recipickr.com |access-date=2014-12-12 |archive-date=2016-11-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161108025731/http://recipickr.com/559/momos-chutney-recipe/ |url-status=usurped }}

File:Jhol_Momo.jpg

Momos may be used in soups. Jhol momo ({{langx|ne|झोल मोमो}}) is a Nepali soup consisting of momos in a spicy vegetable broth called jhol achar, which contains tomatoes, sesame seeds, chillies, cumin, and coriander. It is commonly eaten in Kathmandu in the winter.{{Cite web|url=https://www.anupskitchen.com/recipe/momo-dumplings/|title=Anup's Kitchen | Traditional recipes, without shortcuts|date=July 8, 2016|access-date=April 25, 2023|archive-date=April 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425092049/https://www.anupskitchen.com/recipe/momo-dumplings/|url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=HoneyGuide |title=12 Varieties of Momo – Have You Tried Them All? |url=https://honeyguideapps.com/blog/12-varieties-of-momo-have-you-tried-them-all |website=Honeyguide to the mountains! |date=9 July 2015 |access-date=24 April 2023 |archive-date=24 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424193652/https://honeyguideapps.com/blog/12-varieties-of-momo-have-you-tried-them-all |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Info Nepal |title=Momos |url=https://www.infonepal.org/wiki/food-and-dishes/momos/ |website=Info Nepal |access-date=24 April 2023 |archive-date=28 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230428093436/https://www.infonepal.org/wiki/food-and-dishes/momos/ |url-status=dead }} Mokthuk, from Tibet, is a variation of the thukpa soup using small momos.{{cite web |last1=Lama |first1=Tsering Ngodup |title=An essential guide to thukpas |url=https://kathmandupost.com/food/2019/10/04/an-essential-guide-to-thukpas |website=The Kathmandu Post |access-date=25 April 2023 |archive-date=25 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425100813/https://kathmandupost.com/food/2019/10/04/an-essential-guide-to-thukpas |url-status=live }}

Other variations of momos include:

C-momo, steamed or fried then served in chili sauce.{{cite web |last1=HoneyGuide Staff |title=12 Varieties of Momo - Have you tried them all? |url=https://honeyguideapps.com/blog/12-varieties-of-momo-have-you-tried-them-all |website=HoneyGuide |date=9 July 2015 |access-date=2023-05-02 |archive-date=2023-04-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424193652/https://honeyguideapps.com/blog/12-varieties-of-momo-have-you-tried-them-all |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Bishal |date=2019-05-22 |title=How to cook Nepali Style C-Momo (Chilli Momo) in 10 Minutes? C-MOMO Recipe |url=http://www.readerspice.com/2019/05/22/cook-nepali-style-c-momo-chilli-momo-10-minutes/ |access-date=2023-07-22 |website=ReaderSpice |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-05-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507171353/http://www.readerspice.com/2019/05/22/cook-nepali-style-c-momo-chilli-momo-10-minutes/ |url-status=live }}
Dhapu momo, from Chinese da bao (大包), or "big bun", also known as "Tibetan momo", a Nepali dumpling that is typically larger and flatter than other versions of momos.{{cite web |title=Top 15 momos that will surely tempt your taste buds! |url=https://buddymantra.com/top-15-momos/#14_Dhapu_Momos |website=BuddyMantra |access-date=2023-05-02 |archive-date=2023-05-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230502153516/https://buddymantra.com/top-15-momos/#14_Dhapu_Momos |url-status=live }} This was possibly introduced to Nepal through two routes. One was through Myanmar along the eastern Himalayas, and the other was by the Chinese who immigrated to Kolkata, India one or two hundred years ago.{{Cite web |title=尼泊尔小吃"馍馍"神似小笼包，历史上也是从中国传过去的，两国交往源远流长 |url=https://wenhui.whb.cn/zhuzhan/huanqiu/20190730/280037.html |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=wenhui.whb.cn}}
Gonga momo ({{bo|t=སྒོ་ང་མོག་མོག|w=sgo nga mog mog}}), a wheat and egg fried dough dumpling filled with meat paste.{{cite book |last1=Li, Tao |first1=Jiang |title=Tibetan Customs |date=2003 |publisher=五洲传播出版社 |isbn=978-7-5085-0254-0 |page=37 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k5L0TQjLGgUC&pg=PA36 |access-date=5 August 2011}}
Green momo, a steamed vegetarian dumpling stuffed with vegetables, cabbage and green beans.
Hoentay, a Bhutanese dumpling made from buckwheat dough wrapper mixed with spinach and cheese.{{cite web |last1=Migrationology |title=Bhutanese Food: 25 Best Dishes To Eat When You're In Bhutan! |url=https://migrationology.com/bhutanese-food/ |website=Migrationology |date=2 April 2017 |access-date=2023-05-15 |archive-date=2023-05-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230526095901/https://migrationology.com/bhutanese-food/ |url-status=live }}
Kothey momo, from Chinese guotie (锅贴), a pan-fried version of the momo. The dumpling is first filled with meat as well as vegetables and spices. It is first steamed then fried and then served in dipping sauce.
Open momo, another Nepali addition to the variant in that it has a distinct shape which has open holes on the top that can be used to add various sauces and spices.{{cite web |title=How To Make Authentic Open Momo Recipe In 20 Min |url=https://bakaasur.com/open-momo-recipe/ |website=Bakaasur |access-date=2023-05-02 |archive-date=2023-05-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230502221658/https://bakaasur.com/open-momo-recipe/ |url-status=dead }}
Sadheko momo, a momo salad with onions and tomatoes, herbs, and spices.{{cite web |title=Sandheko Momo |url=https://www.themomoking.com/menu-item/sandheko-momo/ |website=momo king |access-date=2023-05-02 |archive-date=2023-05-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230502223245/https://www.themomoking.com/menu-item/sandheko-momo/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Jeena |date=2023-06-08 |title=Sadeko Momo Recipe (Spicy Momo Salad Nepali Style) |url=https://chaosofflavor.com/sadeko-momo-recipe/ |access-date=2023-07-22 |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-07-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722004514/https://chaosofflavor.com/sadeko-momo-recipe/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Momos: Scrumptious Delights |url=https://nepaltraveller.com/sidetrack/1468 |access-date=2023-07-22 |website=nepaltraveller.com |language=en |archive-date=2023-05-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230508113256/https://nepaltraveller.com/sidetrack/1468 |url-status=live }}
Shoko momo ({{bo|t=ཞོག་ཁོག་མོག་མོག|w=zhog khog mog mog}}), a Tibetan variant that is prepared using mashed potato with dough, shaped into balls, with a minced meat filling, served with bread crumbs.{{cite web |last1=Himalayan Dumplings |title=Tibetan Shogo Momo (Fluffy Potato Dumplings) |url=https://thefeedfeed.com/himalayandumplings/tibetan-shogo-momo-fluffy-potato-dumplings |website=feedfeed |access-date=2023-05-02 |archive-date=2023-05-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230502114115/https://thefeedfeed.com/himalayandumplings/tibetan-shogo-momo-fluffy-potato-dumplings |url-status=live }}
Tingmo ({{bo|t=ཀྲིན་མོག|w=krin mog}}), a type of steamed bread made from flour, yeast and water. Tingmo is a soft and fluffy bread served with savoury dishes such as stews or curries. Unlike other versions of momos, tingmo does not contain any type of filling.{{cite book |title=Lonely Planet India|first=Sarina|last=Singh |page=377 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vK88ktao7pIC&pg=PA377|isbn=9781742203478|date=2010|publisher=Lonely Planet Publications }}
Shamo ({{bo|t=ཤ་མོག|w=sha mog}}), a Tibetan dumpling stuffed with beef or mutton.