Dining etiquette

The very first thing in this list of Bhutanese culture, customs, and etiquette is dining etiquette. Food is often eaten with the hands and is served according to simple traditional eating customs in Bhutan. Cross-legged on the wooden floor, family members eat their meals while doing so. The leader of the household always receives the first serving of food.

Most of the time, mothers and other women serve the food. A brief prayer is spoken before eating, and a little piece of food is offered to the local spirits and deities by being placed on the floor. In urban regions, people typically eat with cutlery while seated at a standard dining table. As a result of industrialization, eating habits have altered. Earthenware was traditionally used to cook food, but with the widespread availability of contemporary goods, pots and pans have mostly taken their place. A typical Bhutanese lunch includes rice, Ema Datshi, a chili and cheese dish that is popular throughout the nation, pork, beef curry, or lentils.