Food review blog

best Bhutanese cuisines that you must eat while visiting Bhutan

Introduction

Firstly, like every other country, Bhutan, a land of thunder dragons, has its own unique culture and values which are different from other countries. Bhutan, which is also known as the happiest country on earth, has its own cuisine which is unique and very tasty. By eating those cuisines you will also find out why we are the happiest country on earth. The Bhutanese cuisine includes meats such as beef, chicken, pork, goat, and vegetables including tomatoes, turnips, onions, green beans, hot peppers and raddish and rice is eaten as a staple. You can also find beverages like butter tea and beers and dumplings and noodles are eaten as snack foods. Most of the Bhutanese cuisines are influenced by Indian and Tibetans. The cuisines such as momos are very popular among youths and ema datshi is known as a national dish of Bhutan. There are lots of options to choose to eat at Bhutan. Bhutan is also known for its production of delicious local cheese and you will also be able to find cheese in many dishes of Bhutan. We will talk about the best curry, best fast foods and best international cuisines that you will find in Bhutan. Bhutan is home to various cultures that's why you will find Nepali, Indian, Chinese, Tibet and many more country dishes being served in every corner of Bhutan. You will also see Varieties of street food or various fast foods in every street.

So, firstly let's talk about the top 5 curry that you must try while you are in Bhutan.

Ema datshi

It is a national dish of Bhutan. We Bhutanese love to eat cheese and chilies a lot, It is the most used ingredient of Bhutan. The name is simple if you speak Dzongkha: "ema" means chili, and "datshi" means cheese.

Ema datshi is made using cheese, garlic, chilies, oil, onion and tomatoes. This dish is eaten with rice like most of the dishes in Bhutan.

Shakam paa

This dish is an excellent source of protein and is one of staple diets for Bhutanese people.

Shakam paa is a dish made using beef, chilies and sometimes reddish or potatoes. The beef in this curry is a bit chewy because beef is dried and preserved before it is cooked

to be served. The beef tastes similar to beef jerky but it has more flavor.

Phaksha paa

Along with beef and chicken, Bhutanese love eating pork. This curry can be gravy or a stew.

It is made using pork, varieties of spices and chilies. Sometimes potatoes and reddish are used to add an extra flavor to the curry.

Kewa Datshi

It is also one of the types of curry that most of the people enjoy in Bhutan, Kewa which means potato with cheese is a great combined food that is eaten most of the time. This curry is eaten with rice. It is cooked with potato, cheese, onion, oil and chilies.

Sikam Paa

Sikam is similar to bacon but on a next level, It is made by hanging pork belly in the sun to dry. This pork is different from bacon because it has quite an impressive ratio of fats and if you observe its color it is a little transparent unlike bacon.

It is made using a sun dried pork belly, which is fried up with dried chilies.

Now let's talk about the top 4 fast foods that you must try while you are in Bhutan.

Momos

Is a steamed dumpling which is very famous in Bhutan and other neighboring countries like Nepal, Tibet and Japan. There are many ways to change the flavor of this dumpling but in Bhutan people use Cheese and cabbage or beef or pork as a fill in. It is eaten with chili sauce, every Bhutanese restaurant has its own homemade sauce which is very unique from each other and the only common thing is that most of them are spicy.

Burger

This fast food is loved by many people around the world and everyone knows about it.

Many people around the world have their own different style of burger and so does Bhutan, People in Bhutan add its own signature ingredient like local Bhutanese cheese.

In Thimphu you can have Burger called Druk triple burger which is very big and loved by many people.

Hoentey

This fast food is similar to Momo but it is filled with turnip leaves and cheese. It is a very unique food only found in Bhutan, Mostly famous in the northern part of Bhutan. It is brownish in color because of the bucket floor from which it is made.

Bathup

Bathup is a soupy dish similar to thukpa(noodle).it is made out of flour cooked for 30 min. Bhutanese love to eat bathup all the time.it is simple and easy to prepare. It can be with vegetables or cooked with different meats.

And lastly let's talk about the top 3 International cuisines that you must try while you are in Bhutan.

Butter chicken.

Butter chicken is a mild, sweet dish that pairs perfectly with Basmati rice or naan bread. A meal might include tandoori chicken, mild curry and basmati rice, and steamed vegetables. Butter chicken originating from North India is very famous among Bhutanese and you will find this curry in every restaurant.

Biryani

Biryani is a mixed rice dish originating among the Muslims of South Asia and Iran. It is made with spices, vegetables, rice, and usually some type of meat. In some cases without any meat, and sometimes with eggs and potatoes, people in Bhutan add their own style of meat which is Shakam to give Bhutanese flavor to it.

Thali

Thali or Bhojanam is a round platter used to serve food in South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. Thali is also used to refer to an Indian-style meal made up of a selection of various dishes which are served on a platter. Thali is also used in south Asia for ceremonial purposes. It is served in Indian, Nepali and in Bhutanese style.

Restaurant where you will find delicious Bhutanese cuisines.

The zone Restaurant