Noodle central

When the history of how instant noodles started in Nepal is written, Pokhara will have a prominent mention. It was exactly 36 years ago on 5 February 1985 that Himshree Foods of Pokhara started production of its now famous Rara instant noodles. Rarely had Nepal seen the promotion of a new brand as aggressively in the mass media at the time as Rara. The catchy ditty in the radio commercial still echoes in the minds of those who were teenagers then.

Himshree then launched a differently-flavoured Aha noodles. Since then new noodle brands have grown literally like mushroom, however Rara and Aha have maintained a loyal following because of their distinctive taste. Today, Rara is exported directly from Pokhara to the United States, Canada, and the EU – mainly to those in the Nepali diaspora who miss its taste.

“There was a shortage of raw materials during the lockdown, and we cut production by 25% but we are now back to ten tons daily,” says Amit Thapa, General Manager of Himshree, who sponsors the Aha Rara Sports events in Pokhara.