Juju Dhau: In Search of Bhaktapur's King of Yoghurts

Walk through the brick lanes of Bhaktapur and you will notice small shops with a glass-fronted fridge full of shallow red clay bowls, each sealed with paper. Inside is the town's best-loved product: juju dhau. The name, in the Newar language, means "king curd", and after one spoonful you may agree that the title is deserved.

What it tastes like

Juju dhau is a set yoghurt, but richer and denser than any you are likely to have met. The texture is somewhere between thick custard and cheesecake, smooth enough to hold the mark of a spoon. It is sweet, with a gentle tang and a faintly caramelised, milky depth. A skin of cream sits on top. It is eaten cool, straight from the bowl.

How it is made

The process is simple in outline and exacting in practice.

1. Buffalo milk is used, not cow's milk. It is higher in fat and gives the characteristic richness.

2. The milk is boiled slowly in wide pans, sometimes for a long while, so that it reduces and thickens. Sugar is added, and some makers include a little cardamom, clove or coconut.

3. When the milk has cooled to a warm temperature, it is poured into unglazed clay bowls over a spoonful of culture from a previous batch.

4. The bowls are set close together in a warm place, traditionally on a bed of rice husks and wrapped in thick cotton blankets, and left undisturbed for several hours to set.

The clay is essential. Because it is porous, it draws excess water out of the yoghurt as it sets, concentrating it further and keeping it cool. The pot is part of the recipe.

A celebratory food

For the Newar people of the Kathmandu Valley, yoghurt is auspicious. It is offered to deities, placed on the forehead with rice as a blessing, and served at the end of feasts. No wedding banquet or major festival meal is complete without it. Families send bowls of juju dhau as gifts, and on certain festival days long queues form outside the best-known shops.

It is also given to people setting out on a journey or sitting an examination, as a wish for good fortune.

Where to try it

Bhaktapur is the place. The lanes linking Durbar Square, Taumadhi Square and the eastern quarter have many yoghurt sellers, some of them family businesses several generations old. There is no need to hunt for a single famous name. Look for:

• A shop where locals are buying, not only tourists.

• Bowls kept chilled.

• A surface that is firm and unbroken, with a creamy top.

It is sold in several sizes. A small single-serving cup is enough for a taste. A medium bowl suits two people. Large bowls are meant for families and feasts.

Most shops have a bench or a couple of stools where you can eat on the spot with a small wooden or plastic spoon. Return the clay bowl if asked, or leave it in the basket provided; they are either reused or crushed and recycled into clay.

Juju dhau is also sold in Kathmandu and Patan, at sweet shops and some supermarkets, but connoisseurs insist it tastes best in its home town, and they have a point.

Variations

• Plain juju dhau is the classic.

• Lassi made from it, blended with a little water and sometimes topped with nuts and dried fruit, is sold at stalls across the valley.

• Some cafés serve it with fruit, honey or muesli for breakfast.

Taking it away

The yoghurt keeps for a day or two if refrigerated, but it does not travel well in the heat. If you want to carry some back to your hotel in Kathmandu, buy it at the end of your visit, ask for it to be wrapped, keep it upright and eat it that evening. It is not something to pack for a flight home.

For sensitive stomachs

Because the milk is boiled for a long time and the yoghurt is cultured, juju dhau is generally a safe choice from a clean, busy shop. As with any dairy product, avoid bowls that have been sitting unrefrigerated in the sun.

Why the fuss

Plenty of places make good yoghurt. What gives Bhaktapur's its standing is the combination of buffalo milk, patient reduction, clay bowls and a community that has made it the same way for a very long time and still eats it at every important moment in life.

When you have finished looking at Bhaktapur's pagodas and palace windows, sit on a step in the afternoon sun with a clay cup and a small spoon. It is the town's history in edible form, and it takes about four minutes to finish.