Tibetan Food

Since I live in Toronto, I have the opportunity to taste different kinds of foods that I could not find in other parts of the world where I have been. An example of this kind of food is the Tibetan.

From a very remote part of the world, not known by many people, this food has its particularities. It comes from a very high mountainous region, where there is not availability of all kind of vegetables. Fish is also not very typical. Buddhist teachings exercise great social influence and samples of the tastes of India and China are present. Beef and chicken are very often used.

If you ask anyone, who has read about Tibet, about its food, the first food they may mention is “Tsampa”, a kind of cookies made with Barley flour, mixed with Tibetan tea. I read that they can also be mixed with Beer in their preparation.

In Toronto, people who have been exposed to Tibetan food may mention “Momos”, dumplings that are usually filled with beef, chicken or vegetables.   

But Tibetan food is much more.  There are many different kinds of soups, like “Phingsha”, a soup that has dried mushrooms, potatoes and beef with thin glass noodles.

“Thenthuk”,  Is another noodle soup. It has vegetables, beef or chicken and hand pulled short noodles. Some references state that this dish is especially typical in the region of Amdo, in the northeaster of Tibet, where there are a lot of green areas.

Tibetans also have their own sausages: “Gyurma”, Made with the blood of yak with barley and some spices.

Finally, a nice cup of Tibetan tea, “Bod ja” with its characteristic salty flavour, due to the use of butter instead of milk and a little bit of salt.

In Queens W there are some places where Tibetan food is available in Toronto. New sensations for people who know very little about this part of the world.