Finger Mutton
Finger mutton is a special dish which you eat mutton with bare hands. It is a tradition that was inherited from generation to generation among herdsmen and hunting tribes on the grassland, and also seen as a welcoming ceremony of visitors. If you are invited by locals to have a meal of finger mutton, be sure to attend because it is not only a friendly signal but also very delicious.
Buttered Tea
Buttered Tea is a special kind of drink in Tibet, China. Apparently, it is composed of butter and tea. The butter is made from milk of yak or sheep. Locals would put butter with salt in a special bucket, then pour tea into it. After mixing, it would appear as emulsion. Buttered Tea is invented due to the fact that air is thin and cold here, and it can provide enough energy, fat, and calories.
Roasted Barley Flour
Roasted Barley Flour is one of the traditional staple food of Tibetans. If you get the chance to have a meal in locals’ home, they would definitely bring you milk tea and Roasted Barley Flour. It is made from flour of highland barley. Mixing with buttered tea and sugar, the flour is made in a round shape. It is not only nutritious and full of calories, which can help you fight the cold, but also convenient to eat, carry, and store.
Milk Skin
Milk Skin is a traditional snack in Tibetan area. It is very similar to cheese. People put fresh milk into a pot and boil it, waiting for the water inside it to evaporate. With time, the milk would finally become a pancake. It is sweet but not fat, and very nutritious. Locals would eat it for daily snack, and they also consider it a good gift during festivals or when visiting friends.