Story Idea:
A woman named Jam Tshering sits cross-legged on the wooden floor of her kitchen, cutting green chilli peppers into thin strips. She places them in a clay pot and adds thin slices of yak cheese: she makes „ema datshi,“ a fiery chilli-cheese stew and the national dish of Bhutan. Finally, she rubs her hands with salt, explaining, „You have to rub it in ten times in a circular motion,“ before washing them with soap to really remove the chilli’s heat. Few dishes in Bhutan illustrate better that chilli is more than just a spice – it’s a vegetable. The tiny kingdom in the Himalayas is becoming increasingly popular with travelers seeking unspoiled nature and authentic experiences away from mass tourism. But its food culture is still largely unknown.
I recently explored Bhutan’s evolving culinary scene on an individual press trip where I was able to create my own food-focused itinerary:
- Chef Bleu Dorji, one of Bhutan’s top chefs, runs the modern “Phangu” restaurant on the outskirts of the capital Thimphu, the first of its kind. Here, she specializes in showcasing the finest ingredients Bhutan has to offer. She also took me to the newly renovated and largest vegetable market in Thimphu to tell me all about Bhutanese produce. She mentioned that she often has foreign visitors, but has never taken the time to show them around the market.
- I stayed and dined at Six Senses Thimphu, andBeyond Punakha Lodge (where I also attended a cooking class), and Zhiwaling Heritage, the only luxury resort run by Bhutanese.
- I visited „Nobgang BnB“, a pilot project in Bhutan supported by one of the Queen Mothers: a women-run community restaurant that preserves local recipes and empowers rural communities.
- There are more than 400 species of mushrooms in Bhutan, and mushrooms are an essential part of Bhutanese cuisine. So I also went mushroom foraging with the chairman of Genekha’s mushroom foraging association, one of two villages in Bhutan where Matsutake mushrooms, the most expensive mushrooms in the world, are found.
- I was only the second guest at „Jam Tshering Homestay“ last year in September, with only 2 % of travelers venturing into the remote Haa Valley, and even the hotel managers told me that I had experienced “the real Bhutan” by staying with a local family in Haa. The women showed me not only how to make “ema datshi”, a spicy chilli cheese stew and Bhutan’s national dish”, but also hoentay, a special kind of momo typical of the Haa Valley.
For Condé Nast Traveller, I’d love to contribute a feature with text and photos that introduces readers to the vibrant cuisine of Bhutan – where chilis are a vegetable, not just a spice.
Sharable element:
I can also provide videos to promote the story on social media. Here are some reels that beautifully capture the atmosphere of Bhutan:
Nobgang BnB, a women-run community restaurant in the hills of Punakha
Staying with a family in Bhutan
Gallery:
See below for a curated collection of photos.
More images available here: https://adobe.ly/4dp486V
I can provide more upon request.
