What Bhutan’s authentic food is like, from ema datshi to hardened yak cheese

The Bhutanese like lots of cheese and chillies in their food, such as in ema datshi, but many restaurants tone down flavours for tourists

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Ema datshi at Phangu restaurant in Thimphu, Bhutan. A stew made with just cheese and chillies, it is Bhutan’s national dish. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

Published: 1:15pm, 21 Sep 2024Updated: 6:27pm, 22 Sep 2024

The only country that measures its success by a Gross National Happiness Index, Bhutan is famous for its scenic towns, historic landmarks and sprawling untouched beauty.

One look at a photo of the famed Tiger’s Nest monastery or Chimi temple can be enough for keen travellers to put the country on their bucket list. But one thing that is rarely discussed is what you should eat when you get there.

“If there’s no cheese, it’s not Bhutanese food,” says chef Bleu Tshering Dorji, co-owner of Phangu, a modern restaurant in Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan.

“We use a lot of our local cheese, or datshi, in our dishes. We cook with a lot of onions, garlic and chillies with our meats but with our vegetables we don’t really sauté them or fry them or anything like that. Everything is with datshi.

“If there’s no chillies, it’s not Bhutanese food either, and it’s all made to go with rice,” she adds.

According to Bleu, when local Bhutanese chillies are still green, the spice has not developed. As they ripen to dark green, the heat level rises. At its maturity the chilli turns red and is at its most potent.