Caterpillar fungus are known as yartsa gunbu (དབྱར་རྩྭ་དགུན་འབུ།) in Tibet—yartsa means summer grass, gunbu means winter worm. In Chinese it’s called “chongcao” or “dong chong xia cao” which also translates to “summer grass winter worm.” It’s a rare herb found in Tibet and other Himalayan regions and only grows above an …
Tsampa (Barley)
Tsampa ( Barley) (རྩམ་པ། ) is one of the main cuisines in Tibet. Tibetan crops must be able to grow in the high altitudes of Tibet. The most important crop in Tibet is barley. Flour milled from roasted barley, called Tsampa, has been the staple of Tibetan food for centuries. This …
Momos (Tibetan Dumplings)
Momos ( ཤ་མོག) are seen as one of the most quintessential Tibetan foods, and travellers love to enjoy them. Often described as “Tibetan dumplings”, most see momos as a basic home cooked meal and it is often a family affair to prepare them. Whether you like to dip, dunk, bite, or …
Yak Butter Tea
Yak Butter Tea (འོ་ཇ། ) Probably the most quintessential Tibetan food. Visitors to Tibet either love it or hate it. If you’ve been to 10 different places in Tibet, you have likely had 10 different varieties. In Shangri-la, peanuts are ground into the tea. In Danba, they put walnuts in …