“Four Delicacies” in Tibet

There is an idiom in China that "weather is different in ten miles, language is different in hundreds miles". This sentence means the weather in a small range can be obviously different, while people live hundreds miles away will speak in different tone and sound. China is vast in land and rich in source, so there not only formed rich regional culture, but various food habits. As a nationality which is living on high mountain, Tibetan with its unique food construction and habits.

Butter tea, tea, tsampa, meat are the "four delicacies" in Tibetan diet, there are barley wine and various diary products.

"Four Delicacies" in Tibetan Diet - Butter

Butter is extracted from milk and goat's milk. The way to extract butter is very easy in Tibet. Making milk slight warm; then pour it into a big cask and whip it hundreds times until the water and oil separate. Later, put the bright yellow fattiness on the surface into a leather bag, it will become butter after cooling. Butter is rich in nutrition. There are many ways to eat butter, but the main way is using it to make butter tea.

"Four Delicacies" in Tibetan Diet – Tea

Tea is loved by Tibetans. There is a view said that"Tibetan is a nationality which ardently loves drinking tea". Fish can't leave water, what Tibetans can't leave tea. It is the real picture of the closely relationship between Tibetan and tea, also showed the special status of drinking tea in Tibetan life. Tea is made into many things in Tibet, the most commonly see is butter tea, sweet tea and pure tea. There is some etiquette about drinking tea:

When customers come into the room, no matter they are come from far places or closely friends, the first present to customers is hot butter tea. The host will take out clean china bowls from colorful Tibetan cupboard and put them on the tea table before customers; then hold a teapot or thermos bottle with butter tea in it, slightly shake it for several times and pour it into the bowls; at last, hold the bowl with two hands and send it to the customer. When customers drinking tea, the host should stand on one side or walk around several customers. When customer drinks once, host will add once. It is the host's responsibility to keep the bowl is full and tea is hot.

Before drinking, customer should use the third finger of right hand to stain little tea, rise the finger up and sprinkle it for three times, means for God, dragon and god of the land. When you drink tea, you should not too fast, instead slightly blow away the oil slick on the surface, and drink for several times; leave half in the bowl, wait the host to full it and drink again. Don't make any sound when you drink tea. If you drink too fast, the host will think you are not well-behaved. It is jokingly called "donkey drink water". When you drink tea, don't drink up once and leave after drink one bowl. Commonly, drink three bowls is the most auspicious. There is an idiom in Tibet that "only drink one bowl will become enemy."

"Four Delicacies" in Tibetan Diet – Tsampa

Tsampa is an important food in Tibet. It is very easy to make it. First, drying and stir-frying barley, then make it into flour, that prepared tsampa. The edible method of tsampa is very easy: put tsampa into a bowl, and add some butter tea into it; then, use thumb to buckle the edge of the bowl and other four fingers keep turning; until the butter and tsampa well mixed, pinch it into small balls to eat.

"Four Delicacies" in Tibetan Diet – Meat

Dried meat is distinctive food in Tibet. When the temperature fall down zero in the end of the year, cut beef and mutton into small pieces and hanging in shady place, let it dried by natural wind. It can be eaten in February or March in the next year. At that time, the meat quality is crisp and the taste is very special, with inexhaustible aftertaste.

Visitors come to Tibet can choose some distinctive Tibetan meal and Tibetan food to taste, like barley wine, butter tea, beef and mutton, yak tongue salad, bun, tsampa, sweet tea, milk tea, yoghurt, baked sausage, dried meat and so on.