In my rudimentary understanding of Indian food, they use more spices because it's hotter down there, and spice acts as a preservative to prevent the food from going bad. The Himalayas have less plant diversity, and the food is more mild. I was surprised to learn that a lot of Tibetan food is similar to northern Japanese food. Yum!
Most mornings I ate a big meal, because the heat of the day made my appetite decease as the day went on. This was jasmine tea, masala omlette, and porridge.
Momos are a rather-famous Tibetan food. They are basically small dumplings, like Japanese gyoza or Chinese potstickers. ( I have a good recipie for gyoza here. ) These momos were filled with a mix of cabbage and cheese, in a mild soup broth with chopped vegetables, spinach, and peas.
This Tibetan curry over brown rice was awesome! Mild and sweet, like Japanese curry.
This Tibetan curry over brown rice was awesome! Mild and sweet, like Japanese curry.
Tibetan thentuk soup. Tomatoes, daikon radish, spinach, peas, yum. Fresh carrot juice.
The guesthouse we stayed at was vegetarian, following Buddhist spiritual principals to "do no harm". Here's another thenthuk soup with thick egg noodles. On the side is lemon-honey-ginger tea with lots of fresh boiled ginger root. Good for the digestion! Because, according to Tibetan Medicine, if you're not digesting well, you will get sick. Even if you choose healthy food, if your body doesn't digest well you aren't able to absorb the nutrients. Makes sense, huh?
Beware generous hosts, pouring delicious beers at high altitude! On our last night in Dharamsala, we had a party with the Tibetan Medical Institute professors and physicians.
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