Traditional BHUTANESE FOOD TOUR - Momos, Butter Tea & Squash Chili | Paro to Punakha, Bhutan

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After landing at Paro Airport, the most dangerous airport in the world, I hit the ground running to start exploring Bhutan! Right away, I loved the chilly temperature—it was about 45 degrees Fahrenheit, but the sun was shining. I met up with my guide, Tsheten from MyBhutan, and our driver, Nidup, outside the airport. I’d been dreaming of visiting Bhutan my entire life, so I was super excited. First up, I’d go on a traditional Bhutanese food tour as we made the drive from Paro to Punakha, Bhutan!

Tsheten presented me with a beautiful, white welcoming scarf before we set off to the town to get some breakfast. We arrived in Paro town, where I saw lots of beautiful, traditional buildings and handicraft markets. We stopped at Champaca Café, where we would have some momos!

We started with some salted butter tea called suja. It’s very buttery and tastes quite salty, too. It tastes like a soup because it’s very thick, creamy, and piping hot. Then, we got two types of momos: cheese and chicken with a creamy, spicy chili paste called ezay. The ezay wasn’t too hot at first, but it crept up on me later! This breakfast was an awesome way to start my time in Bhutan!

After stopping inside a nearby shop to get me a hat, we had a three-hour drive ahead of us. We followed a winding road that passed through mountains, farmland, and red rice paddy fields. I got out to get a stunning view of the Paro River and the surrounding landscape before we tried some dry yak cheese on strings called chogo. It was rock hard, so I had to let my saliva soak into it to soften it up.

Soon, we passed through Thimphu, a city of 100,000. There were lots of buildings built in the new style. We continued on, past prayer flags, until we reached the Druk Wangyal Khang Zhang Chortens, a memorial of 108 stupas in Dochula Pass. They were built in 2004 to honor Bhutanese soldiers who died fighting Assamese insurgents from India in 2003.

After 20 minutes, we arrived at a traditional spot called Menchuna Restaurant. There was a stupa out front. On the buffet, they had cabbage, noodles, chicken with chilies, mixed vegetables, and spinach. I got my food a la carte and had dried fish with chilies, dried pork with radish and chilies, ezay, squash with chilies, and the chicken from the buffet.

The ezay was really hot. I mixed some into the red rice. The squash was spicy and delicious and had a meaty texture. The radish with the fatty pork was unreal. The pork was crispy on the outside and very thick. It reminded me of some of the pork dishes I ate in Meghalaya, India.

The dried fish was good, but it contained lots of bones, so I had to be careful with it. It was dripping with oil. I’d never had fish like this! The chili paste with the long beans were also amazing. It had my mouth tingling. This food was super spicy! My favorite was the squash, which was like a glazy stir-fry. I loved the flavors of everything together.

Then, I tried a special VIP dish that’s only made during special occasions, like the Punakha Festival. It’s made from rice, coriander, egg, and chilies. Next to it, I has dome more suja, which you enjoy with it. The rice dish was like a fried rice, while the suja tasted like pure butter. Then, I added some ezay to the rice, which made it much spicier and tastier!

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About Me:

My name is David Hoffmann. For the last 12 years, I have been traveling around the world in search of unique culture, food, and history! Since starting David’s Been Here in 2008, I have traveled to over 1,100 destinations in 77 countries, which I welcome you to check out on my YouTube channel, travel blog, and social media sites.

I focus a great deal on food and historical sites, as you probably have seen! I love to experience the different flavors that each destination has to offer, from casual street food to gourmet restaurant dining. I’m also passionate about learning about the local history and culture.

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