What to eat in Bhutan
From ema datshi, chillies stewed in local cheese, to momos, red rice and salty butter tea: what to try in Bhutan.
In Bhutan, chillies aren’t a seasoning — they’re a vegetable. Here’s what to try.
Chillies dry almost everywhere: on rooftops, hanging from windows and spread out on the ground. They’re eaten red or green, fleshy or slender, dried, powdered and pickled.
Ema datshi
The national dish: green or red chillies stewed in a sauce of local cheese. Served with red rice at almost every meal.
The usual ingredients are split chillies, cheese, garlic, onion, tomato and oil. Some cooks keep it thick, others make it soupier. Yeewong, a Bhutanese women’s and lifestyle magazine, cooks three versions in this short video.
This video is from YouTube, which may set cookies when it loads.
Kewa and shamu datshi
The same cheesy sauce with potatoes (kewa) or mushrooms (shamu) — a gentler start for spice-shy travellers.
Momos
Steamed dumplings filled with cheese, vegetables or meat, dipped in fiery ezay chilli sauce.
Red rice and buckwheat
Bhutan’s nutty red rice grows in the Paro valley. In Bumthang, try puta (buckwheat noodles) and khuli (buckwheat pancakes).
Suja
Salty butter tea, offered to every guest — a warm welcome on a cold mountain morning.
