Silam: Wild Perilla Seeds and the Mountain Chutney You’ll Crave

Silam — सिलाम, often sold as ban silam, "wild silam" — is the seed of perilla, a herb that grows semi-wild across the Nepali hills. The little round seeds are toasted until they pop and turn fragrant, releasing a rich, nutty aroma somewhere between sesame and sunflower with a green, herbal edge all their own.

For hill communities, Silam is a seasonal treasure, gathered and dried and then stretched through the year in small, flavour-packed amounts.

The definitive use is silam ko achar — a dry chutney. Toasted Silam is pounded in a mortar with dried red chilli, garlic, timur, and salt into a coarse, oily, intensely savoury powder-paste. It is the kind of condiment that makes people eat an extra plate of rice.

It is the perfect partner to dal-bhat, to dhido, and to a simple plate of beaten rice, adding richness, heat, and that unmistakable nutty perilla note. A small amount carries enormous flavour.

Silam is the seed of perilla (Perilla frutescens), a soft-stemmed herb of Nepal’s mid-hills (Pahad). It is grown and gathered semi-wild on field edges, terraces, and kitchen gardens across the hill belt, often as a minor companion crop rather than a field staple — which is why it has a foraged, seasonal character and is treasured in small, flavour-packed amounts.

Because it is a hill ingredient rather than a Terai cash crop, perilla rarely reaches the lowland or international shelf, and authoritative records of any single defining festival for silam are thin. What is well attested is its everyday cultural place: silam ko achar is a beloved hill condiment, pounded fresh and served with dal-bhat, dhido, and beaten rice, and the seed is valued in traditional belief as a warming, nourishing oilseed for the cold months.

Perilla seed is a genuinely regional ingredient — many Nepalis only realise how much they miss silam ko achar once they have moved abroad. Its flavour simply cannot be faked with another seed.

A 250g pack of wild perilla goes a long way, since the achar uses it concentrated. Toast it fresh, pound it coarse, and order authentic ban silam from our Nepali grocery in Canada.