Gastronomy and cuisine of Ladakh

Tapu

Apricots are widely grown in Leh-Ladakh. They can be eaten as a fruit or as jam. Tapu is made by boiling wheat flour and mixing it with ground apricot seeds. This dish is mostly prepared on special occasions.

Paba

Once the staple food of the Ladakhi people, paba is a great source of nutrition. It is made from barley or wheat flour that is kneaded and toasted with peas to make a kind of roti (Indian flatbread). It is served with a sauce and soup. Tagtur aka, buttermilk,is sometimes served with it.

Chutagi

Chutagi is essentially a dumpling soup. The bow-tie-shaped dumplings may or may not be stuffed and are cooked in a lightly spiced soup with potatoes, carrots, and spinach. Each spoonful is a burst of favor in the mouth.

Momos

Momos are steamed dumplings filled with vegetables or meat. They can be fried or pan-fried and are served with a spicy sauce. Sometimes a little yeast or baking soda is added to the dough to give it a softer texture. This dish, originating from the Tibetan community, is mostly served as an appetizer.

Skyu

An exclusively Ladakhi dish, skyu is a local version of pasta. It is made of wheat and root vegetables such as carrot and turnip. The diced flour dough is slowly cooked and the resulting wheat balls are cooked with vegetables in a soup-like sauce.

Chhang

Chhang is a local Ladakhi beer. Of Tibetan origin, this alcoholic drink is made by fermenting rice, millet, or barley. The grain is cleaned, boiled, cooled, and fermented and the whole process takes a few days. This drink is mostly present during social events.

Butter tea

Butter tea, also called po cha, is made by combining butter and salt in a light concoction of tea leaves and milk. It is more salty than sweet and tastes more like a creamy soup. It is the perfect drink for the dry, cold weather of Leh and is sometimes called gur-gur chai. A special black tea is boiled and used with butter and milk to make this drink.