Traditional cuisine of Bhutan
Snowcat
INTRODUCTION
It's fair to say that outside of Bhutan little is known about traditional Bhutanese cuisine.
This is hardly surprising considering that compared to many travel destinations the number of tourists visiting Bhutan is tiny.
Also the now defunct Minimum Daily Tariff system meant that those that did visit Bhutan found themselves by and large confined to their three star hotel for meals as the system itself didn't really allow the opportunity for entrepreneurial flair.
Consequently there wasn't much choice e.g. independent restaurants etc for tourists to go and try traditional Bhutanese food.
Since Bhutan introduced the Sustainable Development Fee as a way of allowing potential businesses that were precluded by the Minimum Daily Tariff to develop things have changed....a little.
Thankfully there are at least a few places popping up where visitors to Bhutan can at try traditional Bhutanese cuisine such as restaurants, cafes and even farm houses.
But, again, these still remain few in number and it's worth bearing in mind that as Bhutan tourists numbers are relatively small there's only so much development can be economically viable and sustained. Dining out (perhaps with the exception of the capital Thimphu) isn't exactly something the Bhutanese people practice themselves.
THE FOOD OF BHUTAN
Bhutanese cuisine is influenced by its neighbours, but the people of Bhutan most certainly have a love affair with chillies! So, beware...the Bhutanese like their food spicy hot!
Rice is often served as an accompaniment. Particularly red rice is a staple. Buckwheat noodles are also a favourite accompaniment.
Also, given that Bhutan is primarily a rural country, home made cheese (often made from Yak milk) is a firm favourite too.
So, you'll find many traditional Bhutanese dishes contain chillies, but unlike India the use of other spices such as cumin, coriander and turmeric is not so prevalent.
Meat (beef, pork, chicken) is more commonly used in Bhutanese dishes too.
We would describe Bhutan cuisine as being "honest" in so much as it is not sophisticated or complex.
The simplicity is the authenticity of traditional food in Bhutan where locally grown produce is key.
EMA DATSHI
This is the be all and end all as far as the Bhutanese go. Ema Datshi is the national dish of Bhutan.
It's about as simple as it comes too consisting of basically just two ingredients in its most basic form.
Chillies and Yak cheese.
Like all things though, everyone has their own version and in restaurants Ema Datshi does get elevated a bit. So you might find other ingredients like onions, garlic and tomatoes added.
But, still at the heart of what will be a tangy and spicy hot stew are the two absolute essentials of chillies and cheese.
You can easily make this dish at home.
Fry some onions in a pan, then add some chopped tomatoes and crushed garlic.
Add the cheese and turn the heat down so that it melts. Feta cheese works well as you'll not likely be able to buy Bhutanese yak cheese!
Add the chillies* and cook for a few minutes on a low heat. Eat and serve with rice (red if you can get it) and that's it.
*You can use fresh green chillies (if you do then add them at the start), but if you can get dried red chillies and rehydrate them in boiled water before adding them, then these give a nice smokier flavour to the dish.
Goen Hogey
This is a rather simple salad.
Cucumber, datshi (cheese), tomato, fresh coriander, chillies (fresh or dried flakes), onions and maybe anything that might be in season.
For a bit of tang and zing ground Szechuan pepper is often added.
Shakam Datshi
This is pretty much Ema Datshi with the addition of dried meat, either beef or yak, so a bit like a jerky but usually the meat will be a bit thicker and chewy.
Jaju
This is a milk based soup. For flavour vegetables are added. Usually spinach and turnip. Some butter too for taste and texture and as this is Bhutan they can't help but add some datshi (cheese) to the soup either.
It's a bit bland, but at least it isn't throat burner with chillies added!
Shamu Datshi
Basically Ema Datshi with mushrooms added. But, the Bhutanese hold wild mushrooms in high regard. There's even a mushroom festival in the Bumthang region of Bhutan to celebrate the start of the season. So, what makes this dish special isn't its complexity it's about going into the forests to forage for the best and most flavoursome wild mushrooms and to come back home and make what is actually a very tasty stew.
Khatem
Outside of Bhutan we've never come across anything similar on our own travels worldwide. This may well be one of those "when in Rome" sort of things as it's seriously bitter and a bit of an acquired taste. Who knows you might actually like it or at least can say you tried something very local!
Khatem is basically bitter gourd deep fried in butter and with a little seasoning added. It's certainly a different taste sensation, but perhaps not in a good way.
Jashu Mara
Winter time in Bhutan can be particularly cold and this chicken curry Bhutan style is perhaps just the thing on a bitterly cold night.
It's quite spicy (this is Bhutan), but this authentically rustic sort of stew is still relatively simple. Chicken, onions, tomatoes, leeks and a good kick of ginger for warmth and depth.
And yes, you can expect some chillies thrown in for good measure too.
Ezay
Possibly in your own culture you have a certain something that you have that eat with everything. And, that's what Ezay is to the Bhutanese. It's an accompaniment that the Bhutanese will have with just about everything.
It should therefore be no surprise to you by now that the main ingredient of Ezay is chillies!
And that's what Ezay is. A hot chilli sauce with the zing of Szechuan pepper.
So, if you want to be like the locals then whatever you'r eating you really need to also have have Ezay with it.
Momo
Momo's are stuffed dumplings that are then steam cooked and really their origin lies in Tibet. However, just as in Nepal where a momo craze has developed and evolved so too in Bhutan.
The dumplings may be stuffed with pork, chicken, yak, beef or vegetables and yes.....you've guessed it....chillies!
Best served with Ezay as an accompaniment, just in case the momo don't already contain enough chillies already.
Hoentay
If your custom Bhutan vacation is based on either our Land of the Thunder Dragon or Ultimate Bhutan tours then you'll be visiting the Haa Valley where this particular dish is from.
Hoentay is not dissimilar to the momo in so much as it's a stuffed dumpling, but in this instance made from buckwheat. The stuffing traditionally being turnip leaves, cheese and spices.
Just like momo's these are best enjoyed with Ezay.
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