Tibetan Milk Tea from Lintan

Tibetan milk tea from Lintan

　　Tibetan milk tea, a specialty of Lintan: There is a saying in Tibetan areas: “Better go without food for three days than without tea for a day.” As Tibetan people often consume acidic foods such as meat and tsampa, and lack vegetables and fruits, their bodies tend to be deficient in alkaline substances. Drinking milk tea regularly helps maintain the body’s acid-base balance. There are many ways to prepare milk tea in Tibetan regions, but the most common method is to simmer Songzhou tea (mainly made from large tea leaves and also called "big tea", originating from today's Songpan area in Sichuan) over low heat, strain out the tea leaves, then add fresh milk along with salt, walnuts, prickly ash, and chura (dried cheese), and boil it three times before serving. It helps dissolve fats, aids digestion, relieves greasiness, refreshes the mind, quenches thirst, and promotes saliva production.

　　Tibetan milk tea from Lintan is highly representative and rich in flavor.