Momo 'མོག་མོག'

There is a possibility that momo was introduced to Nepal in 1788 when Prithvi Narayan Shah, a Gorkha King set out to put together all the small states of Nepal together to build a unified kingdom, a “Greater Nepal”. Greater Nepal extended from Himanchal Pradesh or Kangra on the Tibet side to the Far East of Assam until 1816, when the British annexed the territories of Nepal into India by signing the famous Treaty of Sugauli on 4 March 1816 (Pradhan 1982) (Tamang, 2010). There is a chance that during these wars, momo was introduced first to Nepal from Tibet and later to India from Nepal during war with British India Company along with many other culture and traditions. Tibetans refugees living in Nepal now, many with their own momo restaurants can attest to this culture exchange that might have started in 1788 (Tenzing Lama ’13, Hamilton College).