Food and Food Processing News

The authentic taste of Tibet

Tibet is closer than ever to all of us today. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau's unique weather, flora and fauna, history and ulture have led the people to develop a unique style of food.
Today, Tibetans are bringing their cuisine and dishes to every corner of the world. Beijing, as the capital of the country, is one of the first destinations on their journey.
 
Makye Ame: bringing the taste of Tibet to Beijing
Makye Ame is one of the oldest Tibetan restaurants in Beijing. Travelers to Tibet may have come across their branch in Lhasa. Recently, the restaurant opened a second Beijing branch opposite St. Regis Hotel.
To give their food that real Tibetan flavor, they source their ingredients from the snowy plateau itself. Their house specialty is the yogurt buffet, offering yogurt made using original Tibetan methods. Priced affordably, customers can try out the Yogurt with Eight Delicacies, Tsampa Balls and Yogurt with Sapodilla (called ginseng fruit in Chinese).
Snow Lotus Chicken Soup (68 yuan) or Yak Bone & Marrow Soup (58 yuan) make for good appetizers.
Recommended dishes include tashi-delek (beef braised in brown sauce with carrots, cheese, and yak marrow) and the chicken with corn and juoma (a vegetable reminiscent of black bean that grows on the Tibetan plateau). Tibetan-style nan bread is good for sopping up sauces.
The English menu also features several grain spirits, commonly mixed with yogurt and served in silver goblets.

The friendly service and colorful, upbeat atmosphere make for a lively dining experience. It has become a ?°home away from home?± for many travelers who have fallen in love with TibetMakye Ame
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Authentically Tibetan cuisine
This restaurant not only has a Tibetan chef, Tibetan music and authentic Tibetan ingredients, it also has every Tibetan dish you could ask for. One of their specialties is white yak meat. Given the yaks?ˉ small number (there?ˉs only one white yak per 150,000 Tibetan people) and their high-altitude habitat, they are a prized delicacy. In addition, the restaurant offers fresh and tender baby lamb at, from 10-day-old lambs.
Aside from the food, Gesangmedo?ˉs ambience will also transport you to Tibet. It?ˉs located in a bustling street, but the tranquility and simplicity of the place make it easy to imagine y?ˉre on the remote Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. For those who love their drink, Gesangmedo has a good selection of bracken and barley liquors brought in by air from Tibet. So bring some friends over and enjoy a new dining experience.
Gesangmedo
Address: Southwest corner of Xindong Road, Dongzhimenwai, next to the Canadian Embassy
Open: 11am-2am
Tel: 6417 9269
Cost: 100 yuan per person
Traditional flavors of Tibet
The Jolmo Lungma Hotel is where you?ˉll find the Tibet Autonomous Region?ˉs office in Beijing. It?ˉs not surprising, then, that the dishes served here preserve traditional flavors of Tibetan cuisine. Among their specialties are Tibetan barley liquor, butter tea, yak meat and tsampa.
A particular customer favorite is the hand-torn yak meat. Prepared using traditional methods, the meat comes out a bit tough, but still delicious. If you want to enjoy it to the fullest, you?ˉre strongly advised to eat with your hands. Nothing beats the experience of tearing the meat along its grain befoe putting it in your mouth and slowly savoring it.
If you order their roast lamb, be prepared to be served with ceremony. The meat is placed on a food cart which the chef wheels to your table. He then slices the roasted lamb leg Tibetan-style, using a traditional Tibetan knife. Afterwards, the meat is wrapped in small pancakes made of Tibetan barley, and served with a sweet sauce. As a staple in Tibetan dining tables, the meal truly satisfies.


Dining in the heart of Tibet
Neighboring the Tibet Building and China Tibetology Research Center, King Gesar is the place for anyone who wants a typical Tibetan meal.

Their Whole Toasted Sheep is a must-have. Although the dish is served in every Tibetan restaurant, King Gesar?ˉs stands out because their cooking truly captures the flavor of Tibet. The mutton is served on a big plate and slied in front of you by the chef. When you finally get a taste of it, you might just decide to finish off the whole thing on your own!