Cuisines in Lhasa
Although Lhasa is the capital of Tibet,
tourists will still find that the food available here is largely what
can be found in other parts of China. Among this, Sichuan
style cooking is very popular.The standard of restaurants and cooking
here has vastly improved in recent years here and Tibetan food
is becoming increasingly popular with visitors. The local staples are
tsampa (roasted barley bread), momo (dumplings filled with vegetables
and meat) and thukpa (noodles with meat).
There are so many restaurants in Lhasa
that it is possible to eat in a different place every night! The most
popular area to search around is the Tibetan quarter near
Barkhor Square. Tashi Restaurant, Kailah Restaurant, the Third Eye
Restaurant, the Alougang Restaurant and the Snowland Restaurant are
all good places to sample some of Tibet's more unusual cuisine.
The restaurant in the Banak Shol Hostel
is as good a place as any to eat, and the Yak burger with fries
(RMB16) is extremely delicious. There is a roof top restaurant in the
Barkhor Cafe which is always very crowded in the summer. Internet can
also be found here (RMB40 per hour), although a student price of RMB30
can usually be negotiated. Another internet cafe with the same prices,
is situated 50 yards west of the Banak Shol, on the other side of the
road.
Chang
Chang is a Tibetan alcoholic
drink made with barley. This brew has a light fruit-like flavor but it
is actually very strong so try not to drink too much!! Most Tibetan
people, young or old, enjoy Chang, especially on festive occasions when
the host and hostess propose a toast to the health of the guests. Dried
Yak and Lamb
Dried yak and lamb cutlets are
typical Tibetan specialties. At the end of each year when temperatures
drop below freezing, the Tibetan people cut yak and lamb meat into small
pieces and hang them in the open air. After hanging in the cold for a
several weeks, the dried pieces are fried in oil. The crispy slices are
not only popular with local people, but some foreign visitors also quite
enjoy this tasty snack. Tsampa
The staple food of the Tibetan
people is Tsampa, a kind of dough made by mixing roasted barley flour or
bean powder and yak butter with water, tea or beer. Western taste buds
may not take to this strange goo as it has a highly unusual flavor. It
is novel, but few travelers can force it down day in and day out like a
Tibetan! This is widely available on the streets, in restaurants, and
shops throughout the city and it is very cheap! Yak
Butter Tea
Yak butter tea (Bo cha)
is the typical non-alcoholic Tibetan beverage, although many Westerners
may find the taste rather disgusting! The Tibetan people seem to enjoy
putting absolutely everything into their tea including salt, milk, soda,
tea leaves, and of course, yak butter! All the ingredients are mixed
together with water in a wooden tube and the end result tastes more like
soup than ordinary tea. Hospitable Tibetans you meet are likely to offer
you a bowl of this tea, which is the very best they have to offer (in
their opinion), and it is quite rude to decline! |
