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Pizza was available on many of the menus we came across in Tibet. This particular Tibetan Pizza was very nice, described as having seasonal green chillies, dried onion, broth (????) and mixed vegetables. No yak.
Generally speaking, Tibetan cuisine is a mixture of Nepalese and Chinese influences. Many restaurants had a choice of Tibetan, Chinese, Nepalese and Chinese cuisine on their menus. Here you can see a Nepalese Dhalbat, which is very similar to an Indian Thali, or a ‘curry set’. It was very tasty without being too spicy.
Yak burgers were on most the menus in Tibet, and generally speaking in was very nice. It was very similar to a beef burger, quite nice and juicy. Sometimes if would be served in a bun or bap, other times between slices of bread as here.On the second photograph you can see a yak burger served with mushrooms and cheese.
Yet another variation of yak, this time with a tasty pepper sauce. French inspired, the meat was very tender and the whole dish was yummy. The vegetables, as with most we were served in Tibet, were cooked until barely tender – just how I like them!
Shaptrak is a local Tibetan dish which is not dissimilar to stir fried beef, except this one was made from yak. The meat was very tender, it was a nice mixture, and the whole dish was really nice and tasty.
Tasteless flour which forms the staple of the Tibetan diet, tsampa is usually made by roasting barley and is formed into balls and mixed with tea or yak butter, eaten raw or in soup or cakes. Mixed with sugar and milk powder it creates a kind of porridge. Sometimes it will also contain beef or mutton. This tsampa porridge is known as tu-pa. Tsampa will often be served as a treat to visitors, and in religious festivals, Tibetans will cast Tsampa to express their blessing of each other.Tsampa has the consistency of peanut butter or raw pastry, and it does taste rather like porridge. It was nowhere near as bad as expected.
This particular yak stew (there were many variations), was not the best dish I have ever tasted. The quality of the meat was rather suspect, with lots of fat, and the sauce was a little slimy or sticky if you understand what I mean.
Yak is the staple meat in Tibet, and is found in every shape and form imaginable, including dried. It was available everywhere, including vacuum packed in supermarkets. It tastes similar to the South African biltong.
Lassi was a very popular drink on most Tibetan menus, and we had it as often as we could, usually the apple lassi. Mostly it tasted like an apple yogurt or apple milkshake, but this one was more like mashed apple with stwed rice pudding!
Although many imported beers are available, you cannot go to Tibet without trying the local brew. Lhasa beer is available everywhere throughout the country, not just in Lhasa, in bottles or cans. The bottles are the larger 1 litre variety.It tastes a little bitter, somewhat like a Continental lager, but you can easily get used to the taste.
Yak Hotel Lhasa
8 Reviews and 61 Opinions This is a supposedly 3 star hotel but why remains a mystery. We stayed there for 2 days on our...
Gyantse Hotel Gyangze
2 Reviews and 29 Opinions The hotel's official rating is ***, which did mean it was pretty basic - and so it was (it would not...
Kyichu Hotel (Jiqu Fandian) Lhasa
1 Review and 65 Opinions I stayed at this hotel in February 2007. The beds were hard, but that's normal in China. They had...
Reviews and photos of Tibet attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Tibet sightseeing.
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Q: I am planning a trip of a life time and have two years to do so… so first I want to get some ideas from seasoned travelers and...
A: If you want to hike or bike, Tibet (which is stunning, by the way) is probably not going to work out. The Chinese government will only issue permits for people to enter...
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