Butter tea
Butter tea (also Po cha , "Tibetan tea") is a hot drink consisting of tea , yak butter and salt that is widespread in Tibet , in the mountainous regions of Nepal , in Bhutan and in the far north of India . In Mongolia , a similar tea is called Sūtei tsai ("milk tea").
Butter tea is comparable to a greasy broth and is considered a national drink in Tibet. It is also used to make tsampa , a staple food made from roasted and ground barley. In Mongolia is for Sūtei tsai instead of yak butter Sar Tos , a fat which is also made from yak milk and the Indian used ghee similar.
Butter tea is not to be confused with Masala chai, which is widespread in India .
preparation
To prepare butter tea, tea leaves are first boiled in water, sometimes for up to half a day. Then the hot tea is poured into a butter churn with salted yak butter and mixed with this by pounding it, creating a fatty emulsion.
Drinking culture
A tea culture of its own has developed around butter tea in Tibet . Butter tea is traditionally drunk there for breakfast, usually not from cups, but from small bowls, as is common in China. Butter tea is also served with the rest of the meals. Guests in particular are always given a bowl of tea, which, according to Tibetan tradition, is refilled by the host as soon as the guest has had a drink. It is therefore not uncommon to drink ten or more bowls of butter tea throughout the day.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Tibetan butter tea on tibet-china.de. Retrieved June 20, 2016 .
Web links
- Tibetan Tea Culture. chinaculture.org