Cuisine / Shopping

Bhutan’s geography is reflected in its spicy cuisine. The extreme mountainous terrain of this destination makes the people go for chillies. Chill of the location is beaten up by red chillies. A distinctive characteristic of Bhutanese cuisine, chillies are used in nearly every dish. The taste of the natives has been developed like that. Any Bhutanese meal would be incomplete and not enjoyed heartily if low on chilli quotient.

When we talk about main course of any Bhutanese meal, rice cannot be missed out. An inevitable part of Bhutan’s cuisine, red rice is a staple diet of the country. Usually, it is accompanied by two side dishes consisting of meat or vegetables. In terms of meat; pork, beef and chicken are widely available here. If you are a vegetarian, then organically grown fresh produce of turnips, onions, radishes, pumpkins, green beans can be enjoyed heartily. You will thank the chefs here for offering creatively cooked dishes satisfying your senses completely here. If you are keen on having grains as a food, you can order buckwheat and barley breads here.

Some preferred dishes to be relished in Bhutan are :–

Ema Datshi: Famous as the National Dish of Bhutan, Ema Datshi is a spicy mix of chillies and cheese. Different kinds of chillies are used in preparing this dish. The specialty includes green, red and white chillies in different variants of dried as well as fresh ones. A staple dish of Bhutan, it is preferred by many who wish to have a quintessentially Bhutanese experience. If you are scared of trying the heavy chilli quotient, the chefs can even tone down the same as per your style. Variations of this dish include adding green beans, potatoes, ferns, mushrooms or swapping the regular cheese for yak cheese for a signature experience.

Phaksha Paa: Phaksha Paa is a pork specialty cooked strong red chillis. The variant of this dish can also be cooked with Radishes or Spinach.

Hoentoe: Hoentoe are buckwheat dumplings stuffed with turnip greens, datshi (cheese), spinach and other ingredients. They are served frequently as a part of typical Bhutanese meal. Same is the case with momos, the Tibetan style dumplings filled with pork, beef, cabbages and cheese.

Jasha Maru: Jashu Maru is a spicy minced chicken preparation sautéed with tomatoes and other ingredients. It is usually eaten with rice.

Shopping in Bhutan is exotic and filled with diverse experiences. There are plenty of opportunities that can be explored while shopping here. Tourists besides purchasing exotic souvenirs can also take back authentic memories. The priceless items that can be purchased here include Buddhist Thangkas, colourfully vivid hand-woven textiles, wooden bowls, finely crafted metal objects, etc. Let us look into a brief profile of iconic shopping souvenirs before buying them during shopping tour of Bhutan.

But you need to shell out a lot from your pockets because shopping here is quite expensive. But the end experience is equally fascinating for it slowly pulls you into a signature experience of the country. It introduces travellers to the rich and exotic culture woven in the form of raw silk or silk, baskets of cane and bamboo, finely crafted statues of gods, handmade paper products.

Shopping here can also make you happy for here you can enhance your stamp collection with a wide array of colourful postage stamps. If you are interested in a shopping tour, make sure you start it in Thimphu only, the capital of Bhutan. Here, many handicraft shops are present that can enrich your shopping experience. But prior to that make sure you don’t buy any antique. Antiques are the heritage of Bhutan and the transactions are strictly forbidden in the country.

Keep all such facets in mind for a creatively fulfilling shopping tour of Bhutan.