Tibetan cuisine

Vegetarianism has been debated by religious practitioners since the 11th century but is not prevalent due to the difficulty of growing vegetables, and cultural traditions promoting consumption of meat.

Flour milled from roasted barley, called tsampa, is the staple food of Tibet, as well as Sha phaley (meat and cabbage in bread).

Thukpa is a dinner staple consisting of vegetables, meat, and noodles of various shapes in broth.

In larger Tibetan towns and cities, many restaurants now serve Sichuan-style Han Chinese food.

Nevertheless, many small restaurants serving traditional Tibetan dishes persist in both cities and the countryside.

Tibetan women carry large wooden containers, which can hold up to 25 liters, to fetch water once a day.

Returning to the house, they pour the water into built-in copper cans that hold more than 100 liters.

Tibetans use elaborately woven baskets with matching lids to store dried fruits, rice and sugar.

They have a smooth surface, an impressive grain pattern and are made with a balanced form, which relates to the composition of the raw wood.

Lavish teacups often have a layer of silver inside, which is intended to make them easier to clean.

A whisk is placed in a hole on the top of the Dongmo and, with 15-20 vertical movements, the butter tea emulsifies.

[8] They cook for themselves and raise money by praying for farmers and nomads or by performing rituals for the well-being of families.

Novice monks walk through the rows and pour tea from richly decorated teapots.

[7] Friendliness, hospitality, generosity and selflessness, derived from the principles of Tibetan Buddhism, are the basis of local etiquette.

Extra hard cheese, made from solidified yogurt, is called chhurpi, and is also found in Sikkim and Nepal.

[17] Another type of cheese called shosha or churul, with a flavor said to resemble Limburger is also eaten.

Most Tibetans drink many cups of yak butter tea daily[citation needed].

When the water boils, a great handful of the stuff is crumbled into it and allowed to stew for between five and ten minutes, until the whole infusion is so opaque that it looks almost black.

If you are at home, you empty the saucepan into a big wooden churn, straining the tea through a colander made of reed or horsehair.

Then you drop a large lump of butter into it, and, after being vigorously stirred, this brew is transferred to a huge copper teapot and put on a brazier to keep it hot.

It is ideal in the extreme climatic and geographical conditions of the Tibetan plateau due to its high butter content.