Food And Recipes of Tibet - What's So Special About Tibetan Cuisine !
Tibetan food shows a major influence of Indian and Chinese methods of
cooking but the ingredients that are used are mainly of the mountain areas.
The food that one gets here is deliciously different and known for its
exotic flavour. Well, that is good enough reason for you to try out Tibetan
food, which for sure, is going to be a new experience for your taste buds.
What's Cooking In Tibet !
The main food that is consumed in Tibet
contains mainly of barley, meat and dairy products. In fact dairy products
are something that you will find with every meal of the day. Since Tibet is
a high mountainous region, the vegetables are not found in good quantity
that can easily be seen by the minimal use of veggies in cooking. Tsampa is
the staple food of Tibetan People. It is actually barley flour made from
parched barley, un-husked and ground into fine flour. Put some flour with
salted butter tea in a bowl, rotate the bowl and mix the food with your
fingers, roll it into small lumps, then squeeze it into your mouth. You can
also add other ingredients to add flavor. Yak butter is another favorite
food for Tibetan people, which is separated from yak milk by hard churning.
The milk produced by yak cow is considered to be absolutely tasty and full
of nutrition so don't miss the taste.
Is Non-Vegetarian Food Part of Tibetan Cuisine !
food occupies the major part of Tibetan cuisine. Dried beef and mutton
stripe is the most liked food in Tibet. In the winter, beef and mutton are
cut into long stripes and hung in shaded place to be air-dried. The dried
meat is crisp and tastes good and can be eaten raw as the chill in the
winter air kills all the bacteria during the process. Big joints of beef and
mutton boiled with salt, ginger and spices are also popular food among
Tibetans. They take the meat in hands and cut them with their knives. The
guests are catered with breasts and spareribs. Don't be surprised if you are
served a tail of white sheep, it means that you are deemed as their guest of
honor. Blood sausage, meat sausage, flour sausage and liver sausage are also
eaten on a regular basis by many Tibetans. Other food specialties include
Momo (Tibetan dumplings), Thenthuk (Tibetan noodles) and yak tongue. In
Tibet towns, Tibetan food is complimented by Chinese food, generally Sichuan
food. The main difference that you will feel in Tibet will be the absence of
fish foods, that is because Tibetan people very rarely eat fish due to their
religion and custom.
Looking For Famous Beverages of Tibet !
The salted butter tea is
an irreplaceable Tsampa partner. Boiled tea is poured into a long
cylindrical churn along with salt and yak butter. Churning makes the
ingredients nicely mixed up and ready to be served. Hot boiling black tea
filtered is decanted into a churn, and then fresh milk and sugar are added.
There are many teashops in Lhasa serving the sweet milk tea which is an
absolute hit among Tibetan People. Try out the Tibetan barley beer, called
Chang in Tibetan, the beer is mild, slightly sweet and sour and contains
little alcohol. The beverage is definitely worth the money you spend on it.
Want to Know More about Tibetan Cuisine !
Tibet Cuisine offers
exotic flavor, completely different from anything that you have tasted till
now. Although completely uninhibited by western cuisine, the food here shows
a strong similarity to that in India and China. But that does not take out
the uniqueness of Tibet cuisine. Right from dairy products to non-vegetarian
dishes, Tibet offers mouth watering delicacies for its visitors in the many
famous restaurants like Sichuan cuisine restaurant, Xueshengong Tibetan
Restaurant Jiri Fengniu Tibetan Restaurant and Xigaze Jinzuo Restaurant.