Sertar Tibetan Tsampa

Sertar Tibetan Tsampa

　　The Sertar Tibetans mainly eat tsampa, flour, beef, mutton, butter, and dairy products. Tsampa is made by roasting highland barley grains and then grinding them into powder, mostly appearing white with a fragrant aroma. There are generally two ways to eat it: one is “ball tsampa,” where tea is mixed into the tsampa along with a little butter and tsampa cheese, which is then kneaded by hand into balls and eaten; the other is “licking ka ti,” where tsampa and butter are mixed together and pressed firmly into a bowl, then a small amount of clear tea is poured in. After drinking the tea, the mixture is licked off the surface. Once one layer is finished, more clear tea is poured in, drunk, and then licked off again, repeating this process.