‘Little Pockets of Joy and Happiness’: Momo Informal Entrepreneurial Economy, Urban Foodways, and Nepali Migrants in Delhi, India

Nepali migrants have played a key role in popularising momos as a street food and are central to their informal production, circulation, and sale in Delhi. Drawing on field and desktop research, the paper analyzes how this migrant food became an urban staple and how Nepali migrant foodways generated the urban momo economy by converting culinary knowledge and food-work experience into livelihoods. It identifies core aspects of this entrepreneurial momo economy, including how and where it is organized through migrant labour and their networks. Finally, the paper highlights how Delhi residents have embraced this migrant food without fully accepting Nepali migrants.