Butter tea

Butter tea, also known as po cha or goor goor in local Ladakhi terms, is a drink of the Tibetans and Chinese minorities in southwestern China. It is also consumed in Bhutan. It is made from tea leaves, yak butter and salt.

Drinking butter tea is a regular part of Tibetan life and it is always used to serve for guests. A Tibetan will typically drink several bowls of this tangy beverage before work. And Nomads are said to often drink up to 40 cups of it per day. Since butter is the main ingredient, butter tea is a very warming drink, providing lots of energy (calories) and it is particularly suited to people who live in the high altitudes. The butter also helps prevent chapped lips.

According to the Tibetan custom, butter tea is drunk in separate sips, and after each sip the host refills the bowl to the brim. In this way, the bowls of the gusts will never be drained. If the gusts want to stop drinking this beverage, they can leave the tea untouched after the host refills the bowls. By doing these, the gusts are regarded polite and observing the etiquette.