Ema datshi
 Ema datshi with rice | |
| Place of origin | Bhutan |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients | Cheese (cow or yak milk), chili peppers (green, red, or white) |
 Cookbook: Ema datshi  Media: Ema datshi | |
Ema Datshi (Dzongkha: ཨེ་མ་དར་ཚིལ་; Wylie: e-ma dar-tshil[1]) is among the most famous dishes in Bhutanese cuisine, recognized as a national dish of Bhutan. It is made from chili peppers and cheese; "ema" means "chili" and "datshi" means "cheese"[2] in the Dzongkha language of Bhutan.
Different varieties of chilies may be used: green chili, red chili, and/or white chili,[3] which may be dried or fresh.[4] The chilies are called "Sha ema" which is a Capsicum annuum,[5] and seems to be a form of pepper much like Cayenne, Poblano, Ancho, or Anaheim.
The cheese in Ema Datse is home-made from the curd of cows or yaks. In the process, the fat is removed from the curd to make butter, and the remaining curd without fat is used to make the cheese. After the cheese is made, a watery liquid is left over, which is used as a soup that can be taken with rice. No part of the curd is wasted.
References
- ↑ "༈ རྫོང་ཁ་ཨིང་ལིཤ་ཤན་སྦྱར་ཚིག་མཛོད། ༼ཨ༽" [Dzongkha-English Dictionary: "A"]. Dzongkha-English Online Dictionary. Dzongkha Development Commission, Government of Bhutan. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
- ↑ Pandey, Geeta. "Bhutan's love affair with chillies". BBC News. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
- ↑ Wangdi, Samten; Kencho, Yeshi. "Ema:The Fiery Bhutanese Food". Kuensel News Online. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
- ↑ "A Brief Introduction to Bhutanese Food". Bhutanese Food Site. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
- ↑ "PACKAGE OF PRACTICES FOR CHILI PRODUCTION IN BHUTAN". Agriculture, Livestock & Forestry. Research & Development Center Bajo, Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture & Forests, Royal Govt of Bhutan. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
Further reading
- Pommaret, Francoise (2006), Bhutan Himalayan Mountains Kingdom (5th edition), Odyssey Books and Guides, p. 296