Day 12
Today we will be roaming round Llasa to challenge our taste buds.
There isn’t a lot written about Tibetan cuisine, and people always say Tibetan can’t cook. The Lonely planet Guide states that, “Tibet is unlikely to become a hot destination for foodies....... Tibetan food is more about survival than pleasure...”
There isn’t a lot written about Tibetan cuisine, and people always say Tibetan can’t cook. The Lonely planet Guide states that, “Tibet is unlikely to become a hot destination for foodies....... Tibetan food is more about survival than pleasure...”
So if they can’t cook, what then do they eat? Due to its unique geographic location, Tibetan food has to adapt. Tibetan food is not only sustenance, but also helps them survive the harsh climates. Tibetan cuisine is based on limited ingredients that are available to them. The main ingredients are barley, yaks, mutton, salt and tea. Teamed up with Chin and Chong, we were on our mission. First we tried the air-dried yak meat. The dried meat was crisp and tasted good. It’s a bit like beef jerky.
Lunch at A’Luocang canting, we ordered Tsamthuk Soup, Fried lamb ribs, Bobi set and Tibetan sausage.
The Tsamthuk Soup was somewhat rich and thick with chunks of yak, shredded radish, spinach leaves, and thickened with tsampa.
The Fried Lamb Ribs was nothing like our BBQ Ribs, it was marinated in chilli powder, spring onions and mustard oil, then deep-fried till crisp and hard. It was very spicy and hot.
The Bobi Set was similar to kebab, with sautéed veggies and shreds of yak meat wrapped in unleavened wheat bread. Um, Yum.
Tibetan Sausage was stuffed with spiced lamb intestines, I only had one bite!
During our lunch, we were debating whether we should go to the Everest Base Camp, it was a long way from Lhasa and we were not geared to trek. Well, we were now. We went to our travel agent to change our itinerary and organised some trekking gears. We would go to Yamdrok Tso the next morning as planned and continue our journey to Everest Base Camp.
We went back to our hotel to have a nap before dinner.
Dinner at Ethnic Restaurant. We had a Tibetan Banquet. Wow, you wouldn’t believe what 
we ate. Quick boiled blood sausage (sausage filled with sheep blood); Steamed ox tongue; raw beef paste (a mixture of mashed raw beef and Tibetan herbs); Xiahe Hoof Tendon (sheep hoof tendons boil with agarics and lily); Yak meat stewed with radish and Roast Highland Pig. The dishes were mostly tasty and unique.
we ate. Quick boiled blood sausage (sausage filled with sheep blood); Steamed ox tongue; raw beef paste (a mixture of mashed raw beef and Tibetan herbs); Xiahe Hoof Tendon (sheep hoof tendons boil with agarics and lily); Yak meat stewed with radish and Roast Highland Pig. The dishes were mostly tasty and unique. We were full, happy and satisfied.
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