Yoghurt is important daily dairy for Tibetan people. The creamy milk produced by yak cow is superb. Tibetan nomads in the eastern Tibet manufacture their yoghurt in a special process. The milk is boiled first, after removed from stove, some old yogurt is added in. Yogurt will form in a few hours. Yogurt has been a Tibetan food for more than 1,000 years.
Dried beef and mutton stripe is also popular food in Tibet. In the winter, beef and mutton are cut into long stripes and hung in shaded place to be air-dried. The dried meat is crisp and tastes good and can be eaten raw since the chilliness in the winter has killed bacteria during the process.
Big joints of beef and mutton boiled with salt, ginger and spices are also popular food among Tibetans. They take the meat in hands and cut them with their knives. The guests will be treated with breasts and spareribs. If you are treated with a tail of white sheep, it means that you are deemed as their guest of honor.
Blood sausage, meat sausage, flour sausage and liver sausage are also favored by many Tibetans. Other food stuffs include Momo (Tibetan dumplings), Thenthuk (Tibetan noodles) and yak tongue.
Now in Tibet towns, Lhasa for example, Tibetan food is supplemented by Chinese food, mostly Sichuan food. Vegetables and fish become available in market. However, Tibetan people seldom eat fish due to their religion and custom. Restaurants serving Tibetan food, Chinese food and even western food mushroom in the streets to accommodate tourists. Lhasa Hotel (former Holiday Inn)'s restaurant provides Chinese food, Indian food, Nepalese food and western food. Kailash, Tashi, Snowlands, Dunya (former Crazy Yak) and Makye Ame are popular among travelers also in Lhasa. Veggies may still have little choice in short seasons however.