Tibetan Traditional Food

Tibetan plateau belongs to subtropical zone for its latitude; the average altitude is over 4000 meters. So it is rich in natural resource. Compare with other districts on the same latitude in China, Tibet is in higher altitude, air is thinner, precipitation is less, sunshine is plenty and wind speed is fast. The special geography features makes the diet of Tibetans unique. On the vast Tibetan plateau, tsampa, butter tea, sweet tea, barley wine, beef and mutton are traditional foods of Tibetans.

Tibetan Traditional Food – Barley

Barley is main material of tsampa. After barley was stir-fried, add it into butter tea and eat together. People often mix it with pea to make tsampa. Barley is rich in nutrition. We can get the conclusion by some data that the nutrition of tsampa which is the main food of Tibetans is as rich as some grain, some nutrient substance even more than other grain. Tsampa is not only Tibetan traditional food, but also as Tibetan dish appeared in Tibetan restaurants. It is important food to welcome foreign customers.

Tibetan Traditional Food – Butter

Butter is cream product which obtained from milk. It is necessary food in Tibetan life. It is a kind of crude cream, similar with inland butter. The edible methods of butter in Tibet are making it into butter tea and using it to fry other foods in festivals. Except these, there are many usages. In thousands years ago, Tu Bo people used butter to stop bleeding. Tibetan medicine think butter can make people looks well, and energetic; can increase heat quantity, stop skin cracking. In Tibet, it is ancient traditional to welcome customer by butter tea. No matter you come into herdsman's tent, farmer's mudroom, or visit your relations or friends, the host will present hot delicious butter tea to you. When Tibetans go out, or to see customer off, they will present a piece of white Hada and a bowl of butter tea to bless travelers can turn ill luck into good luck and have a pleasant journey.

Tibetan Traditional Food – Milk

Milk is another necessary food in Tibetan life. Except make milk into butter, yoghurt; people also drink fresh milk. Tibetan medicine think milk can make people active, rosy and with clear skin. It also can cure some diseases. Especially the milk of milch goat is a kind of active agent which can make people excite; allay tiredness; cure vertigo, poisoning, cough, over thirst and hunger. So in Tibetan diet, especially in pasturing areas, people eat large amount of milk and goat's milk. It is interesting that people eating yoghurt and watching Tibetan Opera in Shoton Festival which also named Yoghurt Festival. It is rarely see this kind of food culture in other nationalities.

Tibetan Traditional Food – Drinks

Every kind of drinks is needful objects in Tibetan food. In general, the main drinks are butter tea, tea, sweet tea, fresh milk and barley wine. Among them, butter tea and tea have with tsampa, also as daily drinks. Butter tea and sweet tea separately made up of butter, milk or powdered milk with tea, salt and sugar. It can be seen that butter tea and sweet tea are nourishment with tea function. In the view of dietetics, butter tea can supply heat energy and vitamin A, while sweet tea can increase protein and other nutrition. Barley wine is made up by fermenting barley. In Tibetan, most people drink this wine. In summer, three or five people get together, putting up tent, drinking wine while singing and dancing. It is fully showed the wine culture in Tibetan.