How About Some Momos? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Steamed dumplings

Small round pieces of dough are filled with vegetables or any type of meat and then steamed. Fillings of yak meat and pork are popular in Bhutan and some varieties are also made with cheese fillings. The momos are generally served with a type of sauce.

In Bhutan, it is customary to first refuse the food offered to you by the host. The host will continue to insist and the guest is expected to relent on the third or fourth offer.

Answer: Chilies

Chilies are treated as vegetables rather than spices and added to most food preparations in Bhutan. This spicy ingredient helps to keep people warm in the cold climate.

Answer: Red rice

Bhutanese red rice is cultivated solely in Bhutan and is not to be confused with other forms of red rice. This medium grain rice is cooked with part of the husk left on it and hence cooks faster. Cooked rice is pale pink in colour and sticky to touch.

Answer: True

Ara can also be prepared from wheat or millet. While efforts have been made by the Bhutanese Government to reduce the consumption of alcohol through various regulations, ara and other traditional spirits like bangchang remain popular among the rural folk.

Answer: Butter

Butter tea is common in the Himalayan regions and also found in Tibet and the Ladakh area of India. The butter added is usually made from yak milk. The high calories in butter help to keep people warm in the higher altitude regions. The tea, known as suja, is salty to taste and the butter tends to curdle if not drunk quickly.

Answer: Cheese and chilies

Ema datshi literally translates to chili cheese in the Dzongkha language and is popularly called the national dish of Bhutan. In its traditional version, it consists solely of cheese and chilli peppers. Though the chilies used in Bhutanese cuisine are not as spicy as the ones used elsewhere on the Indian subcontinent, this dish is definitely not meant for those with weak stomachs.

Answer: Fish

Bhutan is a landlocked country and fish is rarely eaten by the native people. All other kinds of meat like mutton, pork, beef, chicken and yak meat are found commonly in various dishes.

Answer: Sikam paa

Sikam paa is a dish consisting of dried pork. Kewa datshi and Shamu datshi are both versions of the popular dish Ema datshi made using chilli peppers and cheese. In the former potatoes are added to the dish and in the later the addition is in the form of mushrooms. Puta consists of buckwheat noodles and is a specialty of the Bumthang region.

Answer: Toasted rice

Rice is soaked in water overnight and after draining out the water, the rice is toasted slightly with oil in a wok. While it is popular to munch on zaw, another common way to eat it is by sprinkling some on top of the butter tea which is consumed in copious amounts throughout the day.

Answer: True

Almost all parts of the yak are utilized in Bhutanese cuisine. Yak meat is commonly used in many of this dishes while yak milk and cheese made from it is also popular.

Bhutanese cuisine is simple in its tastes and unlike the spices used in Indian cuisine or the sauces used in Chinese food, depends on the freshness of the ingredients to bring out its flavours.