Rice is the staple diet in the lower regions while at higher altitudes wheat and buckwheat are the staple food. In Bumthang, khuley (buckwheat pancakes) and puta (buckwheat noodles) are also eaten along with rice. The diet also includes pork, beef, yak meat, chicken, and mutton. Traditional Bhutanese food always features spicy red and green chillies, either dried of fresh.
Most Bhutanese love spicy food. The favourite Bhutanese dishes are ema datshi (chillies with cheese),shamu datshi (mushroom with cheese),kewa datshi (potatoes with cheese) phaksha laphu (stewed pork with radish), sikam paa (dried pork), norsha huentsey (dried beef with spinach), phaksha phin tshoem (pork with rice noodles), bja sha marro (minced chicken with garlic). Seasonal favourites are nyakhachu datshi (asparagus with cheese) and nakey datshi (edible wild ferns with cheese). Several Tibetan style dishes like momos (steamed dumplings filled with meat or cheese), thukpa and bathuk (noodles) are also popular.
The common snack food is zaw (toasted rice), jasip (beaten rice) and gayzasip (beaten maize). Chugo (hard, dried cheese) is also an all time favourite. Most Bhutanese chew doma (betal leaf and areca nut with a dash of lime) which is also carried by many in their pouches. The offering of doma to someone is an act of friendship, politeness and a mark of generosity. It is also a preferred digestive. Popular beverages include suja (salted butter tea), ara (home brewed alcohol) and beer.
