Butter tea, churpi and a Bhutia home kitchen

In many Bhutia homes the day runs on suja, tea churned with butter and salt. Traditionally it was made in a tall wooden churn; today many families use a flask or a blender. It tastes more like a light broth than sweet tea, and it is offered to guests as a sign of welcome.

Your hosts may also show you churpi, cheese made from cow milk that is eaten soft in curries or dried hard for chewing, along with home pickles of radish, bamboo shoot or dalle chilli. Dinner is usually rice, dal, a vegetable or meat curry and a seasonal green such as squash shoots, nettle or fiddlehead fern.

Cooking times follow the household, so ask in the morning if you would like to join in the evening. Tell your hosts in advance about vegetarian or other dietary needs. Wash your hands first, keep out from behind the stove unless invited, and say thank you with a clear plate.