Tibetan cooking is shaped by altitude and by what will grow. At 3,600 metres in Lhasa, the growing season is short, so the traditional diet leans on barley, yak, dairy and root vegetables, with vegetables and rice brought in from lower down. For a visitor this is good news, because the food is distinctive and easy to find in a small area of the old town.
Yak
Yak is leaner and slightly stronger in flavour than beef, and because the animals are raised on high grassland it is one of the more unusual things to eat in Asia. In Lhasa you will meet it as simple grilled steak or stew, as thin slices dried into jerky that is chewed like biltong, as sausage, and as the filling inside momos. Dried yak is worth taking home; it keeps for months and packs flat. In restaurants, dishes are usually described simply as beef or yak, and it is worth asking which.
Chura and other dairy
Chura is dried curd cheese, made from yak or cow milk, cut into small pieces and dried until hard, then eaten as a snack or softened in tea and soup. It is salty rather than sweet and takes some getting used to. Alongside it you will find fresh yoghurt, sometimes set in a clay pot, served plain or with sugar, and thick yak butter, which is churned into tea or eaten with tsampa, roasted barley flour.
The walk
Start near Barkhor Street in the old town and work through the lanes that run off it. Small shops sell momos, thukpa noodle soup, thenthuk pulled noodle soup, and fried potato with chilli and spring onion. Further out along the main streets there are larger restaurants serving Nepali and Indian dishes, which are popular with visitors and with local families. Finish with a bowl of yoghurt or some chura to take away. Most places open from mid-morning until late, and the lunch service is the busiest.
Practical notes
Altitude affects appetite and digestion, and rich food is best avoided on the first day or two. Vegetarians are reasonably well served in Tibetan and Nepali restaurants, with potato, mushroom, tofu and vegetable dishes, though meat stock is common in soups - it is worth asking. Tea houses are cheap and open all day, and street food in the old town is generally safe. Bring cash as well as a phone, since a number of small vendors still prefer notes.
