Shangri-La Tsampa

Shangri-La Tsampa

　　Tsampa is the staple food of the Tibetan people. Tibetans eat tsampa for all three meals of the day. Though the name may sound unfamiliar, tsampa is essentially roasted barley flour. It is made from roasted highland barley that is ground into fine powder without sifting. It is somewhat similar to the fried flour eaten in northern China, but the key difference is that in the north, the flour is ground before frying, whereas Tibetan tsampa is roasted before grinding, and the bran is not removed. When eating tsampa, some butter is placed in a bowl, tea is poured in, and then the roasted barley flour is added. The mixture is stirred by hand. To stir, first press the flour down gently with your middle finger to avoid spilling the tea; then rotate the bowl while pressing the flour into the tea with your fingers along the edge. Once the flour, tea, and butter are well mixed and can be formed into dough-like balls by hand, it is ready to eat. Tibetans typically eat by continuously mixing and kneading the mixture in the bowl, forming it into small balls, and then bringing them to their mouths with their hands. Generally, Tibetans do not use chopsticks or spoons, only their hands. This way of eating is similar to how Indians eat rice with their hands, known as “hand-eaten rice.” During Tibetan New Year, every household places a traditional wooden container called “Zhugsu Qiema” on the Tibetan-style cabinet. The container is filled with highland barley, highland barley wine, and “zhuoma” (ginseng fruit), and decorated with ears of highland barley, wheat flower arrangements, and colorful signs called “Zi Zhuo,” which are painted with patterns of the sun, moon, and stars. When neighbors or relatives come to visit during the New Year, the host will offer the “Zhugsu Qiema.” The guests take a bit of tsampa, sprinkle it into the air three times, then take another bit and put it in their mouth, and finally say “Tashi Delek” (meaning “good luck and blessings”) as a form of blessing.