What and Where to Eat in Bhutan

You will always find Bhutanese cuisine filled with spiciness. Most of the dishes have prominent flavour of chilli which is used as a core ingredient. Chillies (green or red) are used as main ingredients and not as a seasoning. Bhutanese food is mainly inspired by the Indian, Tibetan and Chinese culture.

Most commonly eaten ingredients in Bhutan are Radishes, Tomatoes, Turnips, Spinach, Chillies, Pumpkins, Onions, Green Beans, River Weed, Buckwheat, Rice, Barley, Beef, Pork, Chicken and mix spices. Rice is a staple food here.

The following are some of the most famous Bhutanese dishes one can enjoy while visiting Bhutan:

1. Ema Datshi (Ema Datse)

The national food of Bhutan is Ema Datshi also called Ema Datse. Prepared with spicy chilli and local cheese, Ema Datshi is a vegetarian delicious dish eaten by almost every Bhutanese and can be found throughout the country. It has been named from Ema i.e. chilli and Datsi i.e. cheese. Variations in this dish also available known as Kewa-datsi and Shamu-datsi by adding green beans, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, ferns, potatoes, yak cheese and chilli. Maintaining standard spice level, all restaurants offer these most popular dishes according to your taste.

2. Momos

Momos are one of the famous and favourite dishes generally available in all Himalayan Regions like Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan. Momos are kind of dumplings or steamed buns typically filled with minced beef, pork, cabbage or other vegetables and fresh cheese. The stuffing is prepared with spices mixes such as coriander, garlic and ginger.Bhutanese eat momos daily as well as served on special occasions.

3. Goep

Tickle your taste buds with sumptuous Goep (Tripe) which is one of the popular dishes made with plenty of spicy chillies and chilli powder. This recipe was popular in many countries earlier but by the time it has vanished somehow. But, Bhutan is still in love with it. Like most other Bhutanese dishes, Goep also consists meat and lots of spices mix which makes the dish super-delicious.