Bhutanese Food
Chillies as a vegetable, cheese in almost everything, red rice and butter tea: a guide to what you will eat in Bhutan and what to try.
Overview
Bhutanese cooking is simple, hearty and famously spicy. Chillies are treated as a vegetable rather than a seasoning, and the national dish, ema datshi, is chillies cooked in a cheese sauce. Most meals are served with red rice, a nutty variety grown in the Paro and Punakha valleys.
Tour menus tend to be milder, with plenty of non-spicy dishes, but it is worth asking to try the real thing. In the high valleys, especially Bumthang, buckwheat replaces rice in noodles and pancakes.
What to expect
Dishes to look for: ema datshi (chillies and cheese), kewa datshi (potatoes and cheese), shamu datshi (mushrooms and cheese), momos (dumplings), jasha maru (spicy chicken), and phaksha paa (pork with chillies). Suja, salted butter tea, is offered in homes and temples, and ara is a spirit distilled from rice or grains.
Where in Bhutan
When to go
Year round. In summer and early autumn look for wild mushrooms, including matsutake in some villages.
Good to know
- Tell us about allergies and dietary needs in advance
- Ask for dishes less spicy if you prefer: cooks are used to it
- Vegetarian food is easy to find
More experiences
Hot Stone Bath
Bhutan's traditional farmhouse bath: river stones heated in a fire and lowered into a wooden tub of water and wild herbs.
Archery
Bhutan's national sport: long-distance matches with bamboo and modern bows, full of songs, dances and good-natured teasing.
Homestays
A night with a Bhutanese family in a village farmhouse, sharing their meals, their fire and their daily routine.
Buddhist Heritage
Monasteries, temples and fortress-monasteries shaped by more than twelve centuries of Buddhism, and still at the heart of daily life.
Build a journey around what you love
Tell us which experiences matter most to you. We will plan the route, the timing and the local hosts.