Food in Bhutan
Rice and chilly are staple diet for the Bhutanese
Bhutan is a rice-eating nation and Bhutanese consume large quantities of the grain.
It is generally consumed with a side dish of vegetables such as spinach, chili, potato and meat such as chicken, beef, pork and fish.
Bhutanese also consume a good amount of dairy products such as cheese, which is usually added to vegetables to make a side dish or to make a green salad of fresh chili, onion and tomato or of cucumber with chili powder.
Bhutan could also be called a chili-eating nation because chili is added or consumed, in some form or the other, with almost every Bhutanese meal. Ema Datshi, which means chili and cheese, is Bhutan’s most famous dish that tourists travelling to Bhutan should try out at least one. It is known to lead to secretions starting from the scalp, nostrils and pores on the face.
Hotels and restaurants prepare a much milder version of the dish for first time tryouts.
Another common and popular food is Momo (steamed dumplings). The stuffing comes in beef, pork and chicken. The vegetarian version is stuffed with cheese mixed onion and cabbage. In some eateries it is served with a steaming bowl of bone marrow soup that is on boil throughout the day.
Bhutan also has a unique salted butter tea called suja, which some visitors have described as a hot soup, and the local alcohol brew called ara that can loosen and fire up the senses at the same time.
The central regions offer buckwheat delicacies such as puta (noodles) and Kule (pancakes).
Hotels and restaurants also serve a variety of Indian, Chinese and Continental dishes. In recent years a number of restaurants have opened up in the capital serving Thai, Korean, Indian and traditional Bhutanese meals.
As a landlocked country seafood is generally not common but tourist hotels and restaurants do keep an imported stock that feature on their menu.
On treks and camping tours, seasoned and trained cooks usually come up with delicious servings using packaged and local available food items.