Overall there is a pretty universal opinion that Bhutanese cuisine is not all that good. Why though do people say this about food in Bhutan? Sadly, essentially because it is largely true. It is though not all their fault and there are at least a few gems that you can try when you visit the country.
And there’s another problem too and that is how tourism works within the Kingdom. Traditionally tourism has been all inclusive, with the Bhutanese opting for very plain buffets that keep old Chinese people happy. This means they are all together a bit shit.
Yet despite this you will not go hungry in Bhutan, although you will be hankering for some Bhutanese food a few months after.
What the Bhutanese Cuisine?
Bhutanese cuisine has been shaped by geography, religion, and a mild obsession with chillies. Tucked up in the Himalayas and mostly closed off from the world until recently, Bhutan didn’t really get on the global food train. It is hearty food meant for cold weather and hard work, and that’s pretty much what you get. Influences come mostly from Tibet and to some extent India, but the Bhutanese have made things very much their own.
The most obvious thing that defines Bhutanese food is chillies. Not as an ingredient, not as a spice, but as a main vegetable. Chillies are used fresh, dried, stewed, fermented, mashed and turned into paste. Everything else sort of exists to support the chillies. Cheese comes second, and then maybe some rice and meat if you’re lucky.
A lot of dishes are based on simple ingredients like red rice, buckwheat, radish, turnips, and local herbs. Yak is a thing. So is dried beef. Vegetables are mostly seasonal. You won’t find McDonalds here but you might get a yak burger if you’re lucky. Overall, the food is functional, spicy, and surprisingly filling. But variety is not its strong point.
The Dreaded Tourist Buffet
OK, so if you do come as a tourist every meal unless you try to persuade otherwise is a buffet. These tend to almost universally consist of the same crap. This is rice, Chinese noodles, a chicken dish and vegetables. All of this is largely served without any taste at all.
The only real Bhutanese stuff you get is the chilli cheese, or if you have requested it perhaps some hot sauce. Bhutanese actually love their food a bit spicy, but assume that pretty much no one else on the planet does. There are also some chilli cheese variants, such as potato and mushrooms, but again you probably gotta request this.
Basically if you want to taste Bhutan you need to break free of the tourist food circuit. It might cost you your free lunch but believe me, it’s worth it.
Click to read about food in North Korea.
5 Best Bhutanese Dishes
You can actually go out to real Bhutanese restaurants, get real food and spend your own money. The kicker here though is that you don’t get your free meal. Believe me at times this is well worth doing.
And of course this will allow you to try some actual Bhutanese food. With that in mind here’s our 5 must try dishes from 5 down to 1.
5. Juma (འཇུ་མ་)
A Bhutanese blood sausage made with minced meat, rice and spices. Often grilled or pan fried. Think black pudding but with more chilli and less rules. Great with beer.
4. Shakam Paa (ཤ་ཁམ་པ་)
Dried beef cooked with chillies and radish. It’s chewy and spicy and tastes about five times better than it looks. Very much mountain people food and ideal for protein lovers.
3. Hoentay (ཧོན་ཏེ་)
A buckwheat dumpling stuffed with spinach, cheese, and turnips. Kind of a Bhutanese take on momo, but more earthy. Big in the Haa Valley and often served during festivals.
2. Momo (མོམོ་)
OK, so these are Tibetan in origin, but Bhutanese momos are no joke. Usually stuffed with beef or cheese, and sometimes served in chilli sauce. You will eat a lot of these.
1. Ema Datshi (ཨེ་མ་དར་ཚིལ་)
The national dish of Bhutan and the thing you will see again and again. It’s just chillies cooked in cheese. That’s it. There are variants like Kewa Datshi (potatoes and cheese) or Shamu Datshi (mushrooms and cheese) but the idea is always the same. Fat and fire. If you like spice you’ll love it. If not, you’ll be crying into your rice.
Click to read if Bhutan is actually happy.
Street Food Bhutan
OK, so I was pretty let down by the street food scene in Bhutan, although I feel that much like North Korea what little there was was pretty much hidden from us. I did though try some pani puri near one of the temples, which was pretty good. It was though nowhere near as spicy as you would get in India, but again I wonder if this was done for tourists.
Generally speaking you do not see all that many hawkers in Thimphu or Paro, perhaps related to their warped visions of Gross Domestic Happiness. So for now not much to report, but something I will try to explore further in the future.
Bhutanese Nightlife
The nightlife in Bhutan is actually pretty decent and very representative of a people that do not want to be tied down by an oppressive culture. In the bars of Thimphu you will see girls not just dressed up to the nines, but out in packs. This is particularly cool in a place which is so patriarchal.
We tested a few bars in the capital with Alchemy Bar being our favourite, not least for the karaoke. The scene in Paro is a bit more subdued, although again we had some fun at Marvel Bar.
The Bhutanese though are big drinkers, represented not just by the bars but also the booze they produce.
Top 5 Alcoholic Drinks to Try in Bhutan
OK, so I will do a top 30 or 50 drinks to try in Bhutan at some point, but for now I’ll just cover the top 5 alcoholic drinks you should try when you visit.
5. Zumzin Peach Wine (ཟུམ་འཛིན་)
A sweet peach wine that’s locally brewed and very popular among women in Bhutan. Tastes like peach juice but sneaks up on you fast.
4. Bangchang (བང་ཆང་)
A farmhouse beer made from fermented grains. Cloudy and sour but deeply traditional. You drink it in giant mugs and it makes you feel like a Bhutanese peasant in the best way possible.
3. K5 Whiskey (ཀ་ལྔ་)
Bhutan’s flagship whiskey named after the fifth king. Smooth, smoky, and actually pretty good. Made in partnership with distillers in Scotland.
2. Bhutan Glory Lager (འབྲུག་གསེར་)
Clean and crisp with a light malty flavour. One of the better local beers and found everywhere from hotel bars to karaoke dives.
1. Ara (ཨར་)
The national spirit of Bhutan. Can be distilled from rice, wheat or maize. Often homemade, often unregulated, and often served warm. Comes in many forms, from moonshine rough to almost brandy smooth. Definitely the thing to try if you want to drink like a local. Apparently can be served with an egg, which the spirit cooks.
So, Bhutanese Cuisine
Basically the food in Bhutan is actually nowhere near as bad as folk make it out to be online. With that being said though you are unlikely to find Bhutanese restaurants getting exported any time soon.
The real kicker here is that if you want to eat human food you will need to break the monotony of the Chinese friendly buffet and try your best to eat some actual Bhutanese cuisine.
Click to check my tours to Bhutan with YPT.