Eating in Bhutan was a challenge. I think that most of the time, we were being served food that Bhutanese THOUGHT Westerners would want to eat. I don’t think that in reality we ate much that could be called ‘typical’ Bhutanese food. The only dish that I can think of that we saw at every meal which I will always think of as ‘typical’ Bhutanese fare would be a mixture of hot chili peppers with cheese called ‘ema datsu’ that is eaten as a condiment to other foods. My guess is that most Bhutanese food is so plain and bland, consisting mostly of rice, barley, corn or potatoes, that this condiment, the addition of the hot peppers mixed with farmer’s cheese to the bland grains, is necessary to provide any flavor at all.

Red chile peppers drying on the front porch of a teahouse.

All over Bhutan, we saw people drying peppers on their roofs! It provided us with ample colorful photo opportunities. Everywhere — we could snap photos of the drying peppers on the roofs or porches. We also saw merchants selling apples and vegetables on the roads, although I can’t say with any authority whether either of these are staples in Bhutanese diet although I read that these foods are part of the Bhutanese diet in warmer climates in the country. The nomads who live in the high mountains of the north depend on yak butter and cheese to provide them with important calories for staying warm. Having tasted ‘butter tea’, I am sure that I would perish in the highlands! Nepali dahl (lentils) is another food that is popular throughout Bhutan.

Roadside Apple Vendor

Remember that the Bhutanese people are Buddhist. That means that they do not kill animals. It does not necessarily mean that they do not eat meat, but what meat is found in Bhutan is most likely coming from India. Almost all of the meat that we were served, even chicken, was inedible. Beef or pork was so tough that it could not be chewed. The chicken was always chopped up in some way so that there were a lot of bones in it. I finally gave up on meat and ate primarily vegetables, rice, or noodles at every meal. Our meals were ALWAYS served with vegetables….especially cauliflower, broccoli and green beans. My over-riding impression is that this is a country where people eat to live; they don’t live to eat. Food was very bland and ordinary; meals were always the same. The bright spot in our day as tourists was the morning when eggs were sometimes served to order. I started eating two eggs every time I could, just to get some protein into my system. There were no sweets to remark on. If dessert was served, it was a fruit. I have to admit that I returned to the U.S. a couple of pounds lighter, probably from the combination of travel, bland food, and some heat deprivation. This trip was billed as a ’suitcase seminar’. The focus of the trip was learning about the country and culture, not spending time in luxury hotels and eating gourmet meals. On occasion we found hotels that offered wine. I have to say that the wine was terrible! Beer was a much more reliable choice if you wanted to have an alcoholic drink.