Tsampa

Tsampa (bo|t=རྩམ་པ་|w=rtsam pa) is a Tibetan staple foodstuff, particularly prominent in the central part of the country. It is roasted flour, usually barley flour (bo|t=ནས་རྩམ་|w=nas rtsam) and sometimes also wheat flour (bo|t=གྲོ་རྩམ་|w=gro rtsam) or rice flour (bo|t=འབྲས་རྩམ་|w=bras rtsam). It is usually mixed with the salty Tibetan butter tea (bo|t=བོད་ཇ་|w=bod cha).

Preparation

:"Apart from tea, "tsampa" is the staple, indeed often the only, diet of the Tibetans. It is a kind of flour made from roasted barley. This is how you eat it. You leave a little buttered tea in the bottom of your bowl and put a big dollop of "tsampa" on top of it. You stir gently with the forefinger, then knead with the hand, meanwhile twisting your bowl round and round until you finish up with a large dumplinglike object which you proceed to ingest, washing it down with more tea. The whole operation demands a high degree of manual dexterity, and you need a certain amount of practical experience before you can judge correctly how much "tsampa" goes with how much tea. Until you get these proportions right the end product is apt to turn into either a lump of desiccated dough or else a semiliquid paste which sticks to your fingers. Sometimes you lace this preparation with a form of powdered milk, made from curds which have been dried in the sun." [Migot, André. (1955). "Tibetan Marches". Translated and with an introduction by Peter Fleming, p. 103.. E. P. Dutton & Company, Inc., New York.]

Tsampa is quite simple to prepare; indeed, it is known as a convenience food and often used by sherpas, nomads, and other travelers.

You'll need: 250g/8oz of good-quality, organic pearl barley, Water, a good thick-based non-stick frying pan (skillet), and a coffee grinder, or spice grinder. Place pearl barley in a bowl. Cover with cold water (at least a good inch over the barley) and leave overnight to absorb as much water as possible. In the morning, it will have swelled to twice its original size, and be quite white and opaque. Drain the barley thoroughly, and spread out onto a clean teacloth. Roll the cloth up to soak up as much water as possible, squeezing the “sausage” lightly to assist the process. Unroll, and ‘brush’ the barley into the middle of the cloth, with your fingers.

In the meantime, heat the pan or skillet over a medium heat. When it’s good and hot, scoop a handful or two of the barley, into the pan. Stir with a wooden fork, to prevent the grains from sticking together. They’ll become translucent, then opaque again, as they begin to dry roast. Keep stirring, until the grains turn a pleasing nut-brown. They’ll be quite dry and “gravelly” in the pan.

Transfer to a large tray, and spread out to allow to cool. Repeat the process until all the barley is roasted. It will be cooked and ready to use.

You can either keep it whole, and add it to stews and casseroles ten minutes before cooking time is up, or grind a quantity in a coffee, or spice grinder, until it is the consistency of flour.

In its most common form, tsampa may be prepared by placing the roasted flour in a bowl and pouring tea over the top (some prefer to switch the two actions). After the preparer uses his fingers to knead the mixture into a doughy paste, small parts of the tsampa are broken off, kneaded into small rolls or balls (bo|t=སྤགས་|w=spags), and consumed by hand. As a matter of preference, sugar may be added to the roasted barley flour before the tea is added. When intended as a more elaborate meal, preparation begins by drying, roasting, and grinding the flour. After adding the tea to the flour (or the flour to the tea), yak butter is added to hold the flour together, and the dish may be pan-fried before eating. Meat and/or vegetables may be added to the dish before serving.

Determining the correct amount of tea to place in the flour is a careful balancing act. Pouring too much tea over the flour, such that it concentrates at the bottom of the bowl, creates "mud tsampa"; on the other hand, being too stingy with the tea leaves one with equally undesirable "dust tsampa." The precise proportions used are generally a matter of personal preference.

While traditional tsampa is prepared with tea, water or beer are sometimes used in its place. It may also be prepared as a porridge.

Cultural significance

"Tsampa" is sometimes called the national food of Tibet. Besides constituting a substantial, arguably predominant part of the Tibetan diet, its prominence also derives from the tradition of throwing pinches of "tsampa" in the air during many Buddhist rituals. It is believed that "tsampa" throwing actually predates Buddhist beliefs in the area, originally used as an offering to animistic Gods to request their protection. The tradition was consequently incorporated into Buddhism as a "mark of joy and celebration" used at celebratory occasions such as marriages and birthdays. [http://www.tibet.com/Buddhism/tsampa.html] Today it is particularly known in that regard for its use in New Year celebrations, where it is accompanied by chanted verses expressing the desire for good luck in the forthcoming year, for both oneself and others. "Tsampa"-throwing also occurs at most Buddhist funerals, where the action is intended to release the soul of the deceased.

Tsampa is used in a number of other ways. Mashes of "tsampa" and cumin are sometimes applied to toothaches or other sore spots. Tsampa is also known among Tibetan sportsmen for its ability to provide rapid energy boosts; the roasting of the flour breaks it down to an easily digestible state, allowing the calories therein to be quickly incorporated by the body.

Reflecting its foundational role in Tibetan culture, "Tsampa" is also the name of a Tibetan typeface [http://tsampa.org/tibetan/software/tsamkey available online] .

Footnotes

ee also

*Chatang

External links

* [http://tsampa.org/tibetan/tsampa/ Tsampa section at tsampa.org]