Bhutan Cuisine

Food:

The most distinctive characteristic of Bhutanese cuisine is its spiciness. Chilies are an essential part of nearly every dish and are considered so important that most Bhutanese people would not enjoy a meal that is not spicy.

Rice forms the main diet of most Bhutanese meals. It is accompanied by one or two side dishes consisting of meat or vegetables. Vegetables commonly eaten include Spinach, pumpkins, turnips, radishes, tomatoes, river weed, onions and green beans. Grains such as rice, buckwheat and barley are also cultivated in various regions of the country depending on the local climate.

The Bhutanese are skilled in using wild food products from the forest such as fiddlehead fern, bamboo, mushroom, yams, orchid and river weed. Some of the most popular dishes are:

Ema Datsi (Chilly cheese): It is the most famous dish in Bhutanese cuisine. It is made from chilly, cheese, onion and tomatoes cooked together. There is variation of this with addition of 

other vegetables including potato for kewa datsi and mushroom for shamu datsi.

Phaksha paa (Pork with red dried chilly): A classic Bhutanese bacon simmered slowly with radish and dried red chilly served with rice.

Momo (dumpling): This is one food westerners may have tried. Momos are found throughout the Himalayas from India, Nepal, Tibet to Bhutan. It is similar to Chinese dumpling. 

Drinks: 

Ara is the local alcohol drink made from rice, wheat and maize under the process of distillation at homes. It can be served both cold and warm.

Suja (butter tea) is a drink commonly consumed in the morning with rice for breakfast. It is churned into tea by adding salt and cow butter to the black tea.

Bhutanese meals must end with Doma. It is consumed after every meal. It helps in digestion, helps keep warm in cold winters.