A Guide to Tibetan Cuisine

Tibet's unique plateau terrain and culture create a unique cuisine style. The following is an introduction of several typical Tibetan foods.

Butter Tea

Butter tea is made from high-quality brick tea or Poria tea. After special processing, delicious and unique smells are emanating. Its ghee is extracted from cow and goat milk, making butter tea with a strong milky aroma. The reason why butter tea is a daily essential drink for Tibetans is that it can not only help relieve altitude sickness, prevent lips from being chapped due to dry weather, but also with the function of keeping out the cold. As an indispensable item for holding puja ceremonies, sacrifices, and other activities, it is widely used in Tibetan Buddhist temples, offered to monks and believers.

Tibetan Noodles

Plateau wheat flour is the main material of Tibetan noodles. It is typical of Tibetan noodles to taste rawish. Besides, the essence of Tibetan noodles lies in its yak bone soup. Containing no additives, the palate of soup is extremely fresh with abundant nutrition.

Tibetan Yogurt

It is fermented from yak milk, and gives creamy and mellow mouthfeel. Tibetan yogurt is often used as an offering in certain rituals of Tibetan Buddhism. Especially, drinking Tibetan yogurt is a tradition of the Shetton Festival.

Tibetan Sweet Tea

With black tea, milk and sugar as the main raw materials, Tibetan sweet tea is boiled and blended to make the tea soup, milk aroma and sweetness perfectly integrated. Tibetan sweet tea holds an important place in Tibetan culture and is an essential drink for social and family gatherings.

Tsampa

Tsampa is Tibetan special snack, made from frying highland barley, and it can be paired with a variety of ingredients to create a rich and diverse flavor. Tsampa is easy to take and convenient to reserve. Therefore, for those who need to go outdoors or travel, eating tsampa is a quick way to fill the stomach and replenish energy.

Qing Ke Beer

The production process of Qing ke beer has been rated as China's intangible cultural heritage. The wheat aroma of highland barley is fully integrated into Qing ke beer during the brewing process, which flavour is natural and pure. Qing ke beer often appears in traditional festivals such as the Tibetan New Year and the Shetton Festival, as well as important ceremonies such as weddings and sacrifices.

Yak Dried Beef

Yaks grow in plateau areas and exercise a lot, which makes their meat firm in texture. Yak dried beef is full of chewiness and tastes more fragrant as you chew it.

Milk Sticks and Milk Shells

Tibetans transmute yak milk into milk sticks and milk shells. Milk sticks are suitable for enjoying during leisure time or outdoor activities. They can also be soaked in milk tea, which can enhance the taste and nutrition of the milk tea. Milk shells can be eaten directly as snacks, and they can also be used to make desserts. For example, you can chop them up and sprinkle them on ice cream or yogurt to enhance the sweetness and milky flavor. Both of them are often used to entertain guests by Tibetans.