Food Preparation from Hulless Barley in Tibet

Abstract

Barley occupied over 65% of the total food production in Tibet Autonomous Region. It is cultivated in the valleys and in the higher land on Tibet. Currently, the total cultivated barley area was about 117,900 ha that makes up more than 69.7% of the total area of grain in Tibet. Barley was traditionally cultivated in spring, but winter barley is nowadays relatively common. All cultivated barley varieties are hulless barley, also called naked barleys. With a long history of hulless barley use, Tibetans have established unique ways of preparing food products from it which are culturally and economically adapted to the primitive mountainous region of the Tibetan Plateau. This chapter introduces the traditional ways of preparation of hulless barley into Tsangpa (roasted barley flour) which is the main product, chang brewed from hulless barley that is the major alcoholic beverage, and barley also made into cakes, soups, porridge, and snack foods. The significance of hulless barley is also remarkable in Tibetans’ daily life. This chapter provides that reasons for the choice of barley as a staple food crop by Tibetans are the adaptation mechanism to survive in the harsh condition of mountain area.