Tibetan Buttered Tea

In Tibet, buttered tea (Suyou Tea in Chinese) is the most common drink in each family. It is an indispensable drink in Tibetan people's daily life.

Introduction to Suyou

Suyou (similar to ghee) is a necessary food for every Tibetan people. It is actually a kind of fat taken from milk of cows, sheep or goats. The method to make Suyou in Tibet is quite special. The milk is at first heated and then poured into a wooden bucket. Then the milk is shook for several hundred times until the water and the oil get separated. On the surface of the milk in the wooden bucket floats a layer of yellow fat. The fat is then collected in a container. When the fat is cooled down, the Suyou is OK.

Making Process of Tibetan Buttered Tea

When making buttered tea, people will boil some water with the tea-bricks. And then pour the boiled water into the bucket, adding some Suyou (ghee) and salt into the bucket. Shake the bucket fiercely for several dozens times until the Suyou and the tea get mingled. And then pour it into a pot to heat it. Finally, the tasty buttered tea is ready.

Custom of Drinking Buttered Tea

Tibetan people always treat the guests to buttered tea. When the guests and hosts drink the buttered tea, there is a set of custom. When the guests are invited to the table, the hosts will put a wooden bowl in front of them. Then the hosts or the hostesses will lift the buttered tea pot, shake it several times and then fill the bowl up with buttered tea. The guests should not drink the tea at once. They must at first chant with the hosts for a while. When the hosts are about to refill the bowl, the guests can pick up the bowl, blowing the floating fat aside. Then he takes a sip of the buttered tea, praising it for a while. He then puts the bowl on the desk and the guest will refill it up.