Dharamshala travel guide

Momos

The Himalayan dumpling beloved across North India—half-moon shaped steamed or fried wheat dough filled with pork, chicken, vegetable or cheese; the Tibetan-Nepali original is best at source in Gangtok, Darjeeling and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway towns

Thukpa

Tibetan noodle soup found throughout the Himalayas—hand-rolled wheat noodles in a clear or tomato broth with vegetables and sometimes meat; Sikkim and Darjeeling's versions use yak or pork; warming at altitude and available at 3am from street vendors during the cold months

Tingmo (steamed bread)

Ladakh and Tibet's fluffy spiral steamed bread—leavened wheat dough wound into a spiral and steamed in metal stackers; eaten for breakfast or alongside thugpa soup; the bread is distinctly different from the fermented Tibetan tsampa; standard at every Ladakhi restaurant in Leh

Sha phaley

Ladakh's beloved flat meat-filled bread—minced lamb mixed with yak cheese and cabbage, stuffed into pastry rounds and deep-fried until golden; eaten as a snack or main meal with green chutney; available at the Tibetan food stalls along Leh's main bazaar after noon

Butter tea

Ladakh and Tibet's essential beverage—tea leaves boiled in water, filtered, then combined with yak butter and salt in a cylindrical churn; the result is a savory, creamy, high-calorie liquid that protects against cold and altitude; outsiders find it confronting, locals drink 40 cups daily