Chilies, cheese, and pork can all be found in extremely popular dishes among Bhutanese cuisine. A quick Google search of “Bhutanese foods” leads to a list of many exotic, but popular, dishes found all around Bhutan. Bhutanese cheese seems to be the main ingredient in many dishes: ema datshi, kewa datshi, shamu datshi, and shakam ema datshi, to name a few. The first, ema datshi, is commonly served at almost every meal. It features a wide array of chilies mixed with Bhutanese cheese for a dish that can’t be beat. It is proclaimed as the “national dish of Bhutan,” and served virtually everywhere.
Andrew Moore says
I’m very excited to try Bhutanese food. As its not very mainstream compared to most Asian cuisines. I’ve heard the spicy element is quite strong so I will have to prepare my stomach as I really want to test my spice limits!
Sonam Dorji says
Along with ema datsi, you should also try Sikam Paa (Dried pork) and Suja (salty butter tea). Bhutanese tend to eat a lot of chillies, dried chillies, chillies boiled in water and dried (Ema shukam). You can find some more at https://www.bookmytour.bt/blog/indigenous-food-tourists-must-try-while-in-bhutan.
Good luck preparing your stomach! 🙂