- Licensed Bhutanese tour operator
- Thimphu, Bhutan
Blog · Updated October 2026
Bhutan food guide: 20 dishes and drinks to try
Ema datshi, red rice, momos, buckwheat noodles, butter tea and ara. What Bhutanese people eat, how spicy it really is, and how to eat well as a visitor.
- Chilli and cheese
- Vegetarian friendly
- Written by locals
The basics
Chillies are a vegetable here
The first thing to know about Bhutanese food is that chillies are not a seasoning. They are the vegetable. The national dish, ema datshi, is green or red chillies cooked in a sauce of local cheese, eaten with a mound of red rice. Most families eat some version of it every day.
The second thing is that you will not go hungry. Hotels serve buffets that mix Bhutanese dishes with Indian, Chinese and continental food, and they cook the Bhutanese dishes milder for visitors. Ask your guide to take you somewhere local at least once and order the real thing.
- Red rice with almost every meal
- Cheese from cows and yaks
- Plenty for vegetarians
Dishes
Bhutanese dishes to try
| Dish | What it is | Heat |
|---|---|---|
| Ema datshi | Chillies cooked in cheese sauce. The national dish | Hot, ask for mild |
| Kewa datshi | Potatoes with cheese and a little chilli | Mild |
| Shamu datshi | Mushrooms with cheese | Mild to medium |
| Shakam datshi | Dried beef with cheese and chilli | Medium |
| Phaksha paa | Pork with radish or greens and dried chillies | Medium to hot |
| Jasha maroo | Spicy minced chicken stew with tomato and ginger | Medium |
| Red rice | Nutty, slightly sticky rice grown in Paro and Punakha | None |
| Momos | Steamed dumplings with cheese, vegetables or meat | Comes with chilli sauce |
| Ezay | Chilli and cheese relish served with most meals | Hot |
| Puta | Buckwheat noodles from Bumthang | Mild |
| Khuli | Buckwheat pancakes from Bumthang | None |
| Hoentay | Buckwheat dumplings from Haa | Mild |
| Goep | Tripe with chilli and onion | Medium |
| Sikam paa | Dried pork belly with chillies | Medium to hot |
Drinks
What to drink in Bhutan
Suja
Butter tea, salty and rich. Offered in homes and temples. Accept a cup, even if you only sip it.
Ngaja
Sweet milk tea, the everyday drink in cafés and offices.
Ara
Home-distilled spirit from rice, maize or wheat, sometimes served warm with butter and egg.
Local beer
Bhutanese beers include Druk lager and Red Panda wheat beer from Bumthang.
Whisky
Bhutan makes its own whiskies, such as K5. Alcohol is not sold on Tuesdays.
Water
Drink bottled or filtered water. Most hotels refill bottles.
Eating well
Tips for eating in Bhutan
How spicy is it really?
Local food can be very hot. Hotel buffets tone it down, and restaurants will make dishes milder if you ask. Your guide can order for you. Red rice and kewa datshi are safe starting points. Ezay, the chilli relish on the table, is where most visitors get caught out.
Vegetarians and special diets
Bhutan is easy for vegetarians. Many Bhutanese avoid killing animals, and much of the meat is imported from India. Vegetable curries, datshi dishes, dal and rice are everywhere. Vegans need to watch for cheese and butter. Gluten-free and halal-friendly meals are possible with notice. Tell us in advance and we brief every hotel.
Where to try real Bhutanese food
A farmhouse dinner is the best introduction: home-cooked dishes, red rice from the family’s own fields and ara by the stove. In Thimphu, the Centenary Farmers Market near the river is the place to see chillies, cheese, dried fish and local fruit, especially at weekends. In Bumthang, try buckwheat noodles and pancakes, and the cheese and beer made in the valley.
Food safety
Stick to cooked food and bottled or filtered water. Hotels and established restaurants are reliable. If you have a sensitive stomach, go easy on the chillies for the first day or two.
A day of eating
What a food day in Bhutan looks like
Breakfast at the hotel is usually familiar: eggs, toast, porridge and fruit, sometimes with puri and curry. Mid-morning, your guide may stop for milk tea and a plate of momos. Lunch is often at a local restaurant on the way between sights: red rice, two or three dishes to share, a bowl of ezay and more tea.
Afternoon snacks are where it gets interesting. Look out for zaow, crunchy puffed rice eaten with butter tea, and chugo, dried yak cheese so hard you suck on it for an hour. Many Bhutanese chew doma, betel nut wrapped in a leaf with lime, which is why you will see red stains on the pavements. Dinner is back at the hotel, or in a farmhouse if you have arranged one, which is the best meal of most trips.
Seasonal treats
In summer, look for wild mushrooms in the markets, including matsutake in Ura and Genekha. Autumn brings the rice harvest and fresh red rice. In winter, Punakha oranges and dried meats are everywhere.
Customs
Food etiquette in Bhutan
Saying no politely
Hosts offer food more than once. It is normal to decline once or twice before accepting.
Eating with hands
Many Bhutanese eat with their right hand. Cutlery is always available for visitors.
Offerings
Some people flick a little drink into the air as an offering before drinking. You do not have to.
Bhutanese food: questions
Ema datshi, chillies cooked in a cheese sauce, eaten with red rice.
Often very. Hotels and restaurants make milder versions for visitors on request.
Yes. Vegetable dishes, dal and rice are available everywhere.
Butter tea, sweet milk tea, ara, local beer and whisky. Alcohol is not sold on Tuesdays.
On our tours, breakfast, lunch and dinner are usually included.
Add a farmhouse dinner to your trip
Tell us your dates and diet. We will plan meals you will remember, from red rice to buckwheat pancakes.
