10 Must-try Bhutanese Dishes

If you are a food enthusiast visiting Bhutan, you are in for a gastronomic experience!

Traditional Bhutanese cuisine, though influenced by Tibetan, Chinese and Indian cuisine manages to retain its authenticity. The staple diet includes red rice, cheese, green/red chilies and, meat (pork, beef, chicken, and yak meat).

Bhutanese cuisine is majorly spicy – chilies are not just used to add heat to the food, but they are used as the main ingredient in lots of Bhutanese dishes. Not a lot of spices are used, keeping the food simple yet flavorsome. 

Must-try food on your Bhutan trip:

1.   Ema datshi: Made with just chilies and cheese(datshi), this is the National Dish of Bhutan. Fresh green or red chilies are cooked with locally produced yak cheese and butter. Available at all restaurants across Bhutan, every cook has their own version of this dish varying in consistency and spiciness. There are other variations of this dish made with vegetable; like Shamu Datshi, made with mushrooms and kewa datshi, made with potatoes. 

      2.  Red rice: This is the staple food of Bhutan. It is partially milled, gluten-free, and is very nutritious.

 Ema Datshi & red rice: We ate ema datshi with almost every meal!

     3.  Suja: Also called butter tea, suja is made with fermented butter and yak milk. Unlike your traditional tea, suja is buttery and salty. It keeps the body warm and can be really comforting during cold winter mornings.

Suja with chicken gravy and rice

4.  Zaow and Khabzey: Zaow is crunchy puffed rice, often offered as a snack along with tea in local homes in Bhutan. Khabzey is a deep-fried fritter made with flour and sugar.
We were offered these as snacks with tea at a homestay in Haa.

Zaow and Khazey served with tea

5.  Ezay: Ezay is made with dry red chilies, tomatoes, garlic, and cheese. It is a kind of “Bhutanese chili sauce” but it is eaten with almost every dish- from momos to rice and noodles. Ezay can be really spicy but it is a treat in itself. As for us, we grew a liking for it and had it with almost every meal.

Ezay: The spiciest dish we had in Bhutan 

      6.  Phaksha Paa: Dried pork is stir-fried and then cooked with red chilies and mountain vegetables like radish and turnip. It goes well with rice and is another staple dish of Bhutan. There are many variants of this dish made with chicken( Jasha Paa), dried beef (Shakam Paa), and dried pork belly ( sikam paa).

Phaksha Paa

Chicken (Jasha) Paa

Sikam(Pork Belly)  Paa 

     7.  Momos: This Tibetan specialty is widely popular in Bhutan. These dumplings come with a variety of stuffing like beef, pork, and chicken or vegetables and cheese and served with spicy ezay. 

Momos served with ezay

    8. Bathuk: A variation of the Tibetan Thentuk, Bathuk is a soup made with hand-rolled wheat noodles cut in shapes of little squares and makes for the perfect meal on a cold day. Thingay (Sichuan pepper) is added to give it a hint of spice. It is different from Thukpa which is also noodle soup but made with regular noodles.

Bathuk: Wheat Flour noodle-soup

Thukpa

     9.Jaju: Jaju is a soup made with milk, butter, and turnip leaves. It has a very mild flavor and is served as a side dish.

Jaju: soup with turnip leaves

10.  Chugo: This dried yak cheese is the hardest version of cheese you will ever eat. You can see strands of chogo hanging in local shops in Bhutan. It is very difficult to bite it and you might end up chewing it for hours! 

Chugo sold at Phuentsholing bus stand

Veg sausages ( Spiced Veg Juma) 

Of course, the list does not end here! Bhutanese cuisine has a lot to offer to someone who loves to explore. Also, there is always an option to have Indian meals that are readily available at most restaurants, but I would suggest you go out of your comfort zone and give Bhutanese cuisine a fair try!

For tips on how we planned our Bhutan trip, click here!

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