Ngawa Dining
Situated in Sichuan province, Aba is the prefecture mainly inhabited by Tibetans and Qiang people. Therefore, food in Aba is featured with hot and spicy of Sichuan cuisine, as well as Tibetan and Qiang style. The distinctive Tibetan dishes includes Yak meat, goat roast, Pickled cabbage noodles, blood sausage, and barley wine, butter tea, yogurt, etc. Many local Sichuan dishes are also a good choice if you're not used to Tibetan cuisine. There are also many special delicacies around Jiuzhaigou Valley, Huanglong scenic spot and Four Maiden's Mountain, and you may have a chance to taste the local valuable wild fungus.
Special dishes of Aba Prefecture
- Yak Meat
Yak meat is one of the typical Tibetan dishes with various cooking methods. It can be cold and dressed with sauce, rinsed in hot pot, barbecued or stir-fried. When you come to the Tibetan area, do not miss the delicious yak meat. - Blood Sausage
The blood sausage is the first-class food in the Tibetan diet, and it is the honor of the master to treat the guest to blood sausage. It is made with natural casing, yak or sheep's blood, spices and yak meat or pork, delicious and nutritious. - Tsamba
Tsamba is the staple food for Tibetan locals in Aba. Tibetans, whatever work in the land, graze on the mountain, or go on a journey, they will take tsamba as a ready-made food with them. When eating, take bits of butter and serve with the tea. - Pickled cabbage noodles
It is a traditional Tibetan dinner. The main material is pickled cabbage, with local bacon or fresh yak meat, and then mix potatoes, noodles and salt. The fragrant pickled cabbage noodles are coming. When visiting a Tibetan family, the host usually treat you to it. - Potato Cake
Potato Cake is the most featured food in Jiuzhan Valley. Being heavily pounded into viscous pastry in a barrel after being steamed, the potatoes are made into cakes, boiled in the pot and then served with pickled cabbage and red pepper. - Barley Wine
Known as "Tibetan beer", barley wine is yellowish with acid and sweet, which is an indispensable beverage in the life of Tibetan people, as well as a good drink to celebrate festivals and treat friends. - Butter Tea
In Tibetan's home, the butter teapot is being simmered on the Huotang (a kind of Chinese fireplace) from morning till night, and you can drink fragrant and hot butter tea at any time. Butter tea is rich in nutrition, delicious and refreshing, and it is popular among Tibetan people.Yak butter tea has been dubbed as the "Tibetan national beverage”. - Cheese Momo
Cheese momo is a famous Tibetan snack which is made from the milk residue, namely the residue left after the extracting of butter. The fresh milk residue is sour and white that can be take as stuffing of bun. - Wild Fungus
It is the speciality of Four Maiden's Mountai. With high altitude and unique geographical environment, Four Maiden's Mountain scenery area gives birth to rich wild fungus such as Morchella, bolete, hericium erinaceus, amanita caesarer, as well as the world famous Matsutake. The wild fungus here is much natural and fresh, and also much economical than in big cities. - Yak Yogurt
It is a traditional Tibetan drink. It is made from boiled milk, and then cooled and fermented. The flavor is much more strong so some people like to add some sugar in it. It is believed to help people improve digestion, appetite, and sleep quality. - Zajiu
Zajiu is a popular type of home-brewed wine by Qiang people in Aba area. The barley is cooked and then stored in the altar with distiller's yeast. When drinking, add some cold boiled water into the altar and use bamboo tubes to drink from the altar.
