Yomari for Thoughts

Dear Nemaste,

"Yomari is pointy filled with black chaku. Those who give yomari are young and those who don't will be old." Niva Shrestha

योमरी च्वामु, उके दुन् हाकु, ब्युम्ह ल्यासे, मब्युम्ह बुढीकुटी ।

Growing up, I didn’t value Nepali delicacies. I valued the Western pastries over my own mother’s handcrafted ones. I wonder if I truly was a picky eater, or was it my tongue which had already readjusted to the Western language, that made me refuse the food I grew up with.

But, by being more open to learning more about my own culture, I have started to become more involved in the cuisine of Nepal. Rather than rejecting my mom’s home-cooked meals, I have learned to become more grateful and enjoy them more than ever.

Today I had yomari! Yomari has played a significant part in my life growing up. Although I didn’t enjoy it as much when I was a kid, I can still remember stuffing my face with the yomari’s that had khuwa (solid condensed milk) in them and scrunching my face when my mom offered me a yomari with chaku (sweetened molasses). Things have changed now. When I tried a few yomari today, I concluded that chaku indeed was better than khuwa.

What is Yomari?

From the last blog, we learned what momo’s are. Yomari’s are similar to momo, except that rather than being stuffed with savoury fillings, they are filled with sweet fillings, either with khuwa and chaku. The outside of the yomari is made out of rice flour and water. We roll the rice flour dough until it is soft, and roll up our sleeves to make yomari. My mom takes a piece of the dough, and shapes it into a yomari, afterwards, she fills the inside of the yomari with either khuwa or chaku, and then she closes it. To recognize which ones are chaku or khuwa, when closing it, she makes two petite horns for the khuwa yomari and one petit horn for the chaku yomari. Then they are steamed for around 10 minutes, and waiting is the hardest part when making these yomari! Yomaari can be eaten anytime, but I would recommend eating hot yomari with hot chai in the morning! It warms up your heart!

So of all days why did we eat Yomari today?

Yomari Punhi

Yomari Punhi is a festival celebrated by the Newars to offer rice to the Goddess of Grain, Annapurna, during the rice harvest. Although I’ve never done it, Yomari Punhi is the day where Newari children in Nepal would go door to door singing in return to get their hands on more yomari!

The History of Yomari

Depending on who you might ask, the story of how yomari was made might be different. However, most believe that yomari was created by a couple in Panauti, who shared their newly made sweets to their neighbours. Apparently, at this time, the God of Wealth, Kuber, who took the form as a beggar was roaming around this village. When he was offered the sweet by the couple, their generosity made him grant the couple wealth and propensity, and also said that whoever makes yomari for the gods and goddesses, they will also be granted wealth!

Why else are Yomaris eaten?

During a facebook call with my maa (grandma), she told me that yomari’s were typically eaten in the winter, as a way of getting energy. Yomari are eaten warm, which heats your heart, and allows you to be warm in the winter. The fillings like chaku and khuwa are nutritious, which help you with the harsh winters in Nepal!

Looking back, it breaks my heart that I never tried to ask my mom any questions about our culture. When you don’t know the reasoning behind a certain thing, the less enjoyable it is. I’m happy that this year I was able to understand more about yomari. Now excuse me, I have to eat one more yomari!

Sincerely,

Arnima Shrestha

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References:

1. Nepal, Naturally. Yomari Punhi. www.welcomenepal.com/whats-on/yomari-punhi.html.

2. Shaddy. “The Tale of Yomari : History and Significance of Yomari Punhi.” Nepali Trends, 30 Dec. 2020, www.nepalitrends.com/yomari-punhi/.

3. Credits to Niva Shrestha for the yummy pictures :)