Tibetan food Part 1—Tsampa

The Tibet Plateau is a barren area and most crops can’t bear its harsh weather. It is extremely cold, extremely dry and under extreme ultraviolet exposure, so the Tibetans’ food is very limited. Tsampa is their staple food; it is made of roasted flour, usually barley flour. It is usually eaten mixed with the salty Tibetan butter tea. Or Tibetans can eat the flour while drinking salty Tibetan butter tea or barley wine.

Tibetans love to eat Tsampa not only because barley is their major crop, but also it is very convenient. As Tibet is a Plateau, the agriculture developed very slowly，while animal husbandry flourished. Tibetans depend on animal husbandry for their livelihood. They will move around to find the best meadow for their herds. Eating Tsampa is very easy and convenient to bring when Tibetans are far away from their home. Meanwhile, Tsampa is very nutritional; it can give Tibetans power and energy. It makes them strong enough to protect their herds and handle the harsh weather of the Tibet Plateau. They love Tsampa. 

Here are some videos I found on the Internet that may help you have a better understanding of Tsampa.

How to make Tsampa:

How to eat Tsampa:

TenDawa regain his power after eating Tsampa:

An American tastes the Tibet Tsampa:

བཀྲ་ཤིས་བདེ་ལེགས！Tashi delek!