Chilli as a vegetable
In Bhutan, chillies are not a seasoning but a vegetable. They hang drying from rooftops in autumn and appear in almost every dish, fresh, dried, powdered or pickled. Many households still burn a few chillies to ward off bad spirits.
The dishes
- Ema datshi – chillies cooked with farm cheese; the national dish.
- Kewa datshi and shamu datshi – the same cheese sauce with potatoes or mushrooms.
- Red rice – a nutty heirloom grain grown on the terraces of the western valleys.
- Phaksha paa – pork with dried chillies and radish.
- Momos – dumplings filled with meat, cheese or vegetables.
- Hoentay and puta – buckwheat dumplings from Haa and buckwheat noodles from Bumthang.
- Suja – butter tea, salty and warming, offered to every guest.
How it’s cooked
Most Bhutanese dishes are boiled, steamed or stewed rather than fried or roasted: ingredients go into one pot and come out as something more than the sum of their parts. Meals are shared, and hospitality is taken seriously – expect to be offered more than you can eat.
For travellers
Bhutanese food can be fiery, and kitchens are used to adjusting for visitors. Vegetarian, vegan and other diets are easy to accommodate with notice. Ugyen’s own Authentic Bhutanese Cookbook is a good place to start, and our journey A Taste of Bhutan goes into family kitchens across the country.