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Eating in Tibet


Eating in Tibet

Clockwise from top: tingmo steamed bread, thenthuk noodle soup, momos in soup and vegetable gravy, with condiments in center
Clockwise from top: tingmo steamed bread, thenthuk noodle soup, momos in soup and vegetable gravy, with condiments in center
Tragic as the Chinese takeover may be, many Tibetans will nevertheless admit that at least it brought some decent restaurants. The traditional Tibetan diet is largely limited to barley, meat (mutton or yak) and dairy products, with very few spices or vegetables, although brutally hot chili sauce is often served on the side. Even good Tibetan food is very monotonous with most Tibetan restaurants serving nothing other than thukpa (noodle soup) and tea. By comparison, Chinese restaurants in villages often put out some excellent food. Some travelers feel that Hui (ethnic Chinese Moslem) places are cleaner because of halal food laws; they can be recognised by the green flags and crescent moons (and because they do look cleaner). Unfortunately there is not a single genuine Tibetan restaurant of high quality in Tibet, which can only be found in neighbouring provinces such as Sichuan. All Tibetan restaurants in Lhasa featured in guidebooks and frequented by non-Chinese tourists are westernized ones serving a few Tibetan dishes along with pizzas, spaghetti, pancakes, etc. A selection of popular Tibetan fare:
  • Momos - dumplings filled with meat or vegetables, steamed or fried
  • Tingmo - bland, nearly tasteless steamed bread
  • Thukpa - a hearty noodle soup with veggies or meat
  • Thenthuk - thukpa with handmade noodles
  • Yak butter tea - salty tea churned with butter, a Tibetan staple and a rather acquired taste for most Westerners
  • While traveling be prepared for the bus to depart late or break down. Carry a snack on short trips and enough food for a few days or a week or more for longer journeys, such as to Mount Kailash. Instant noodles are convenient even if you don't have a camp stove. They can be eaten cold or softened with boiled water. Tsampa (roasted barley flour) is an ideal travel food because it's already cooked. Eat it mixed with tea, butter and salt, or as a high energy snack by mixing it with water, milk powder and sugar.

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    Tibet Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.

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