For Folk Fest, Red-Hot Chilies, Hold the Yak

Video

A Taste of Bhutanese Cuisine

The Washington Post's Emily Wax goes to a market in Thimpu, Bhutan's capital, to sample yak cheese and other local cuisine. Washingtonians can sample Bhutan's flavors for themselves at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, beginning June 25.

» LAUNCH VIDEO PLAYER

First, he said, there was the quality of the yak cheese.

Tshering originally considered bringing a yak to the festival to make fresh dairy products. But he learned that the animal would have to stay in isolation for two months upon arrival in the United States. Turning the yak into a detainee didn't seem like the Buddhist thing to do. "Washington is so hot that time of year and the yak is a highland animal," said Tshering, who thought of calling Washington's National Zoo for a yak rental or importing a yak from a farm he had heard about in Oregon.

In the end, the Bhutanese scrapped the yak idea and enlisted the help of Bhutan's first food sociologist. Kunzang Choden is the author of "Chilli and Cheese: Food and Society in Bhutan," which attempts to capture Bhutanese traditional and religious culinary culture before it is overwhelmed by the burgers and double cappuccinos of globalization. "In the bowls of chili is the country's identity," she has written, and that's what she'll be cooking for demonstrations on the Mall.

The Bhutanese food sold at the festival's concession stands, meanwhile, will be provided by Indique Heights, an Indian restaurant in Chevy Chase that has studied Bhutan's cuisine for the occasion. Three dishes will be highlighted: ema datsi, of course; nakey tshoem, which is shredded chicken mixed with fiddlehead ferns, cheese, chilies, garlic and ginger; and momos, dumplings filled with pork and cheese that are favored by the ethnic Nepalis who live in Bhutan.

"The food, for a lot of people, is their favorite part of the festival. The live demonstrations really give you a chance to try and watch folks prepare it. And maybe try it at home," said Becky Haberacker, a spokeswoman for the Smithsonian Institution. "In the case of Bhutan, it's a country not a lot of people have visited, let alone tasted the food."

Bhutan isn't the only place featured at this year's festival: The Smithsonian usually examines the culture of an American state as well, and this year, it's Texas. My husband, the one with the asbestos palate, was inspired to imagine crossover cuisine. How about spicy yak chili Frito pie with a longneck Red Panda, Bhutan's wheat beer?

Tshering thought it was a great idea. He said Bhutan sees the festival as a giant coming-out party for the country, which has a population that is roughly the same as the District's. "We thought there's no better place to show off our new democracy and our preserved culture than America," said Tshering. "We just hope everyone loves our cooking."

What about the food's "world's worst" reputation? Personally, I would disagree -- and give that title to the aforementioned Sudanese camel meat. But Washingtonians with a fear of spice might go easy on the chilies. And have a tall glass of cold water at the ready.