Tsampa (Roasted Barley Flour)

Tsampa is flour ground from roasted barley—the Tibetan word means 'roasted flour.' Deep brown and nutty, it has been the central Tibetan staple for thousands of years, eaten daily by herders, farmers and monks alike.

Barley is the most important crop on the Tibetan Plateau, with more than 3,500 years of cultivation history; the tsampa tradition of roasting and grinding it arose alongside Tibetan civilization, shaped by the high-altitude environment and a pastoral–agricultural way of life.

The traditional way is to pour tsampa flour into a wooden bowl, add hot butter tea and a pinch of salt, then knead the mixture with the fingers into a ball and eat it; it can also be mixed with barley wine or yogurt, giving a toasty, dense and satisfying mouthful.

The nutty scent of roasted barley blends with the salty fat of butter tea; rolled into balls or cylinders, it is the most common daily food seen in Lhasa's streets and monastery courtyards.