Yak meat products, typical Tibetan food

When you travel to Tibet, do not miss the delicious Tibetan food, especially yak meat products which are typical Tibetan food popular among both local people and travelers to Tibet. 

 

On the Tibetan plateau, it is hard to plant vegetables due to the harsh environment with low temperature all year around. Thus, meat and milk are good source of nutrients for Tibetan people. Yaks are an important source of meat for the herdsmen and their families, but the meat is also sold. Even in areas where religious taboos inhibit the slaughter of the animals, the meat is eaten, but professional butchers, rather than the owners of the animals, do the slaughtering. Many yaks are slaughtered every year and this is normally done when the animals are in their best condition, before the onset of winter. Some of the meat is consumed fresh and much else is frozen in nature's own "deep freeze" and stored that way. Meat is also processed into all kinds of products.

 

Fresh yak meat

 

Only when you make a Tibet tour can you enjoy fresh yak meat. The best fresh yak meat is available in autumn because of the good condition of the animals at that time. The method of butchering and eating by the herdsmen is quite simple. The carcass is cut into large cubes then boiled in fresh water for a few minutes. The meat is eaten with salt and with the help of a Tibetan knife. Butter tea is taken at the same time.

 

Air-dried meat

 

Air drying is a common way for Tibetan people to process meat due to the rich wind source on the Tibetan plateau. Prior to winter, Tibetans cut yak meat into long narrow strips (approximately 4 - 5 cm wide and 30 cm long) and dry these suspended from woven-hair ropes. Drying takes only a few days. The air-dried meat will keep for one or two years either hung in a tent or stored in hide bags.

 

The air-dried meat has a distinctive flavor and can be cooked in different ways. Some of this dried meat is eaten as it is, only cutting or tearing the strips into smaller pieces; and milk-tea is drunk as an accompaniment. When cooking the dried meat, there are two main methods. One is to roast it by burying the meat in the stove, fuelled by yak dung, until the meat smells fragrant. It is then taken out, cleaned and cut into pieces. The other method is to soak the dried meat for several hours and then boil it in water. Salt and condiments are not usually added.

 

Smoked meat

 

Smoking is another popular way to process meat on the Tibetan Plateau. Smoked meat is similar to air-dried beef, but the fresh meat strips are first salted in a container for one or two days and then hung over the stove in the herdsman's tent to smoke. Smoked meat can be eaten either raw or cooked.

 

Corned beef

 

Corned beef is salted "bacon-beef". Frozen meat strips are rubbed for one or two minutes. When the meat becomes soft, salt and condiments are added. The meat is rubbed until it becomes wet and it is then transferred to a jar, which is sealed with paper or cloth. After 18 - 21 days, the salted meat is taken from the jar and dried in the air for about seven days. The best corned beef is reddish in colour, savoury and tasty. After being boiled, steamed or fried, it can be eaten with zanba and accompanied by butter tea.

 

Beef jerky

 

There are two kinds of beef jerky - spiced and curry. The fresh meat is boiled in water for one to four hours, depending on its tenderness. When cooled, it is cut into thick slices 1.5 cm long, 1 cm wide and 0.5 cm, which are put into a pot and sautéed for three hours to remove some water from the tissue. Spices (Table 10.2) are placed between the meat slices, which are then covered with water and left to simmer for about three hours. The slices are taken out and hung to drip-dry for four hours, then dried at 65oC for six to eight hours. This product is known as "spiced jerky". "Curry jerky" is made by mixing the spiced jerky with curry powder. These products can be eaten directly or after additional cooking, frying or boiling.

 

The latter four yak meat products are also popular among travelers as they can be stored for a long time. Many travelers to Tibet would buy some meat and take back home. The yak meat products are also perfect gifts for friends or family members as they carry the unique flavor of Tibet.

 

Besides, those meat products that can be eaten directly are also delicious food on Tibet train. If you leave Tibet by train, you can buy some and treat yourself during the long train journey.  

Advice on trekking to Everest Base Camp

When you get to the Everest Base Camp at the foot of the world’s highest peak on foot step by step, you must feel extremely proud of yourself. That is why the Tibet trek tour from Tingri to Everest Base Camp becomes one of the classic trekking in Tibet. Here is some advice on trekking to Everest Base Camp.

1. Take your time.

Remember, you are doing a trek at an altitude over 4,000m, you are not doing a race and nobody is judging how quickly you get up the hill. Acclimatize properly, drink plenty of water and if you need to take an extra rest day. Nobody is going to ask you how long it takes you to get to Everest Base Camp; they are just going to be amazed when you made it. Your guide and porter will not mind if you hire them for an extra day or two. They will be glad for the work. 

2. Bring a book.

Trekking from Tingri to Everest Base Camp takes several days and it can get a little boring at times. You may only have the energy to lie in bed and read a book, so bring a good one. You can buy books in Lhasa, capital of Tibet.

3. Bring a water purifier or purification tablets

Do not drink the water found in the rivers and lakes in Tibet when you are making a Tibet tour. The safety of drinking water in Tibet has been bothering rural Tibetans in Tibet's remote farming and pastoral areas. Drinking water in Tibet should be purified with iodine or other purification tablets to prevent intestinal complaints.

4. Buy your gear in Lhasa

You can buy all trekking gears in Lhasa, trekking poles, hats, gloves, socks, down jackets, sleeping bags etc. Everything you could possibly need to trek to Everest Base Camp is available in Tibet. If you need it or forgot it, you can get it.

5. Bring chocolate and any treats that you want

It is easily to lose energy when trekking on the high plateau. So it is best to bring some chocolates or any treats you want. Sometimes when the altitude gets to us, the only thing that feels good going down is chocolate. It is a good idea to have some with you and you can buy it in Lhasa.

6. Give Yak and its owner the right of way at all times.

You may hire yak to carry luggage for you or meet yaks and Sherpas during your trek. When a yak train comes, move to the mountain side to get out of the way. You don’t want to be nudged off a cliff by a yak. Sherpa’s and porters work hard on Everest, they are constantly taking supplies up and down the mountain. Help make their life easier by staying out of their way.

7. Have a good first aid kit. 

Altitude sickness is the biggest risk for travelers who travel to Tibet. Diamox is a must for altitude symptoms. Follow the directions and take 1/2 of a 500 mg tablet twice a day. Make sure to have decongestants, Advil or your choice of pain reliever, lip balm and sunscreen is a must. I had a woman give me salve for my sinuses to moisten them. My nasal cavities dried out and I suffered from severe nose bleeds which were quite scary. I will always have a lubricant for my nose from now on.

8. Keep batteries close to your body at all times.

Sleep with them in your sleeping bags. It is difficult to find a place to charge batteries. The cold temperature drains batteries quickly, so you need to extend their life by keeping them warm.

 

Enjoy a Horse Riding Tour in Tibet

When you search Tibetan festivals on internet, you will find that there are many festivals in Tibet relating to horse race. Hence, we can conclude that Tibetan people is a nation loving horse riding. For travelers, why not enjoy a horse riding tour in Tibet to remote wilderness of Tibet to explore the hidden interests of Tibet.

 

When you do a trekking in Tibet, you can hire a horse and enjoy a horse riding in the countryside of Tibet. For example, you can do a horse trek around the famous Mount Kailash in western Tibet or around the heavenly Lake Namtso. But it would be more interesting to ride a horse on the grassland in northern Tibet. You know, Tibetan people would hold Horse Racing Festival on the grassland in Nagchu in every August which is the best month to travel to Tibet.

 

The Nagchu Horse Festival is the most important festival in north Tibet plateau. Nagchu is one of the highest, coldest and most windswept towns in Qiangtang Grassland. In this breathtaking spot on the road between Qinghai and Tibet, from August 10-13, more than 10,000 nomads, with their tents, children and animals come to participate and enjoy the colorful Nagchu Horse Festival. A gathering of traders, pilgrims, dancers, gamblers, drinkers, and picnickers, Nagchu is a cultural fair representing a wide range of ethnic and tribal groups. There will be horse racing and acrobatics, dancing and singing at night, and the chang, or Tibetan beer will flow freely. The Nagchu Horse Racing Festival will be held for a whole week in August 2013.

 

Making a Nagchu Horse Racing Festival Tour in 2013, you are supposed to see:

 

1. Thousands of Tibetan nomad spectators.

2. Beautiful horse racing and yak racing.

3. Competitors with well dressed ethnic Tibetan attire.

4. Yaks and horses are well decorated with Tibetan styles.

5. Buying and selling of horse attracts thousands of Tibetans far away from other parts of Tibet.

6. Tradition dancing and performance of Tibetan operas.

7. Well trained Tibetan Herdsmen displays horse riding skills.

8. The grasslands are dotted with tents with full of Tibetan spectators forming a small town for a week.

 

Except Nagchu Horse Racing Festival, Gyantse Horse Racing Festival Tour is also very popular among travelers. This festival is established in 1408 and the farmers and herdsmen from every parts of Tibet gather in Gyantse for horse racing, archery competitions, horsemanship display followed by few days' entertainment or picnicking. These days, ball games, track and field events, tug of war are also playing at the field for about a week. The businessmen from every part of the Tibet display some local products and butter system is still there.

 

What you will see on Gyantse Horse Racing Festival

 

1. Fast running horse competition

2. A well decorated horse.

3. Many horsemen with typical local Ethnic dress up.

4. Hundreds of businessmen displaying the local products.

5. Showing different skill during Archery competition.

6. Hundreds of Tibetan spectators with typical ethnic dress up.

8. You can still observe the ancient butter system there.

9. Thousands of foreign visitors and journalist.

10. Hundreds of Tibetan tents with full of spectators.

 

If you have experience in riding horse, you can ask permission from the owner of a horse to enjoy a different horse riding on the Tibetan Plateau. But be careful.