Due to the high altitude of Tibet, the water boils at 90 degree Celsius,
and cooking with water is impossible. The diet and foods are peculiar
in Tibet. The Tibetan diet consists mostly of meat, milks and other
high-protein foods. Traditional Tibetan food consist mainly barley, meat
and dairy products. The choice for vegetables will be limited due to
the short agricultural season.
Tibetan food:
1. Tsampa: The main staple food, made of roasted barley (with husk)
ground with a hand mill into very fine flour, is mixed with a little
Tibetan yak-butter tea and then rolled into small lumps and eaten with
fingers. Butter, curds and sugar add flavor.
2. Yak Butter: Yak Butter, refined from the milk of yaks, is the daily food of Tibetans.
3. Beef and Mutton: Tibetans like to eat beef and mutton because meat
can provide enough energy to withstand coldness in the high elevation
areas.
4. Yoghurt and Milk Sediment: The popular milk products are yoghourt and
milk sediment. Yoghourt is a kind of food full of nourishing components
and easier to digest. It is an important daily dairy for Tibetan
people.
5. Tibetan Sausages: Tibetans like varied sausages made of yak meat, yak blood and flour.
6. Momo: Tibetan "Ravioli or dumpling", is the most famous and popular
Tibetan food. The half-moon-shaped Momo, filled with meat, vegetables
and ginger, can be either steamed or fried.
7. Thenthuk (Tibetan Noodle Soup): A typical Tibetan noodle soup can
keep the nomads withstand the coldness during winter time. It can be
made either with vegetables or meat.
Tibetan Drinks: Tea and barley beer (chang)
Tea
There are three ways to make tea: simple tea, milk tea and butter tea.
The most common tea leaves are produced in the Han Land, as Fu Tea from
Hunan, Tou Tea from Yunnnan and Ta Tea from Szechuan. Tibetan
tea-drinking forms a special `tea culture'.
1. Salted Yak Butter Tea: It is an indispensable Tsampa pal, which is
made of boiled tea poured into a long cylindrical churn along with salt
and yak butter. Vigorous churning makes the ingredients well blended and
ready to serve.
2. Sweet Milk Tea: Sweet Milk Tea is another popular alternative. Hot
boiling black tea filter is decanted into a churn and mixed with fresh
milk and sugar. Many teashops in Tibet serve the sweet milk tea.
Chang(Tibetan Barley Wine):
Tibetan Barley Wine is brewed from fermented barley grown on the
highland. The wine is mild, slightly sweet and sour and contains little
alcohol. It is a very popular alcoholic drink in Tibet.