Tsampa

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Tsampa is a Tibetan staple foodstuff, particularly prominent in the central part of the country. It is roasted flour, usually barley flour and sometimes also wheat flour or rice flour (). It is usually mixed with the salty Tibetan butter tea ().

Preparation

Tsampa is quite simple to prepare; indeed, it is known as a convenience food and often used by sherpas, nomads, and other travelers.

Take 250g of organic, untreated whole barley. Place in a bowl, cover with cold water, and soak overnight. The following morning, drain the barley thoroughly. It will have absorbed water, and swollen considerably. Pour the drained barley onto a clean teacloth, spread it out evenly, then roll the teacloth into a a sausage, to absorb as much excess water as possible. leave for a moment or two, whilst you take a heavy cast iron pan or skillet, or a good quality heavy-based non-stick pan. Heat over a medium heat, with no oil or anything added. Unroll the teacloth, and shake the barley all back into the centre, into a heap. scoop a handful of barley into your hands, (about a third of the amount) and put this measure into the hot skillet or pan. (Cover the soaked barley over with the edges of the teacloth.) Stir the barley in the pan to prevent it sticking together... in a few moments, it will go from creamy opaque, to translucent, as it begins to dry- roast. keep stirring, until it gains a nice brown toasty colour, and 'rattles' round the pan like gravel. Pour this onto another teacloth, and spread it out to let it cool. Do the same with the remainder of the barley. Once it has all been roasted, you may either store it like this, and use it as needed, or grind it very finely to make the Tsampa - roasted barley flour. Because it is already cooked, it needs no preparation time, if you add it whole to stews or soups.... Add it five to ten minutes before serving. In its most common form, tsampa may be prepared by placing the roasted flour in a bowl and pouring tea over the top (some prefer to switch the two actions). After the preparer uses his fingers to knead the mixture into a doughy paste, small parts of the tsampa are broken off, kneaded into small rolls or balls and consumed by hand. When intended as a more elaborate meal, preparation begins by drying, roasting, and grinding the flour. After adding the tea to the flour (or the flour to the tea), yak butter is added to hold the flour together, and the dish may be pan-fried before eating. Meat and/or vegetables may be added to the dish before serving.

Determining the correct amount of tea to place in the flour is a careful balancing act. Pouring too much tea over the flour, such that it concentrates at the bottom of the bowl, creates "mud tsampa"; on the other hand, being too stingy with the tea leaves one with equally undesirable "dust tsampa." The precise proportions used are generally a matter of personal preference.

While traditional tsampa is prepared with tea, water or beer are sometimes used in its place. It may also be prepared as a porridge.

Cultural significance

Tsampa is sometimes called the national food of Tibet. Besides constituting a substantial, arguably predominant part of the Tibetan diet, its prominence also derives from the tradition of throwing pinches of tsampa in the air during many Buddhist rituals. It is believed that tsampa throwing actually predates Buddhist beliefs in the area, originally used as an offering to animistic Gods to request their protection. The tradition was consequently incorporated into Buddhism as a "mark of joy and celebration" used at celebratory occasions such as marriages and birthdays.

Today it is particularly known in that regard for its use in New Year celebrations, where it is accompanied by chanted verses expressing the desire for good luck in the forthcoming year, for both oneself and others. Tsampa-throwing also occurs at most Buddhist funerals, where the action is intended to release the soul of the deceased.

Tsampa is used in a number of other ways. Mashes of tsampa and cumin are sometimes applied to toothaches or other sore spots. Tsampa is also known among Tibetan sportsmen for its ability to provide rapid energy boosts; the roasting of the flour breaks it down to an easily digestible state, allowing the calories therein to be quickly incorporated by the body.

Since the Chinese invasion and occupation of Tibet, tsampa has become a symbol of Tibetan identity and cultural oppression. Considered primitive and backwards by the modernizing Chinese, tsampa is prepared less often and, when it is still prepared, the flour is sometimes replaced by Chinese rice.

Reflecting its foundational role in Tibetan culture, "Tsampa" is also the name of a Tibetan typeface available online.

External links

Tsampa section at tsampa.org
Sonam's Tsampa A supplier in Switzerland

Tsampa

Preparation

Cultural significance

External links

See also