Food

All large towns have resturants but in small villages, there is often no public eating facility at all. In small restaurants in small villages, the meal is likely to be the national dish; ema datsi(chilli and cheese) and meat. Tradition Bhutanese food always features red or green chillies. Ema Datsi is prepared as a vegetable and not as seasoning.

Other dishes are Phaksha Laphu(stewed pork with radish), nosha Huentse(stewed beef with spinach), phaksha phin tsoem(pork with rice noodles) and bja sha maroo(chicken in garlic and butter sauce).

Small dumplings, filled with meat or cheese are a specialty in Bhutan. Thukpa or traditional noodles is another specialty. Both momos and thukpas are available in most restaurants.

Although there is plenty of white rice, the Bhutanese prefer a locally produced red rice. At altitudes where rice is not available, wheat and buckwheat are the staples. A Bhutanese snack also includes zow which is rice that is boiled and then fried. It is often mixed in sugar and butter and served. In Bumthang, khule (buckwheat pancakes) and puta(buckwheat noodles) replace rice as the foundation of many meals.

Bhutanese call the sweet tea as Ngaja but people often prefer suja which is tea with butter and salt.