舌尖上的美食 第2期:酥油茶 Buttered Tea

Buttered Tea

酥油茶

Buttered tea is the most welcomed drink Tibetan people serve their guests, which is usually served with Zanba (a staple of Tibetan people, a mixture of fried barely and bean powder). Containing tannin acid, brick tea stimulates the secretion of gastric acid which fastens the process of digestion. It has to go with ghee or milk to allay hunger. Its high calorie can provide enough power man needs as the most favorable drink in Shangri-La.

酥油茶是藏家待客所必備的飲料，多作爲主食與糌粑一起食用。磚茶含鞣酸多，刺激腸胃蠕動加快消化，單喝極易飢餓，必須加酥油或牛奶，酥油茶因具有極高的熱量，能消除寒氣補充人體所需的熱量，是香格里拉地區最好的飲料。

It is said that there were two hostile tribes by the name of Xia and Nu in the Tibetan-inhabited area in Shangri-La district. Nevertheless, Memeso, daughter of the chief of Xia and Wenpadan, son of the leader of Nu, fell in love, which is a taboo to both tribes, so the chief of Xia had Wenpadan ng his cremation Memeso jumped into the burning fire and died with his lover. After the young couple died, Memeso became the leaves of the local tea plants and Wenpadan turned into the salt in Qiangtang Salt Lake. Since then buttered tea symbolizes the reunion of the tea and the salt.

傳說，香格里拉藏區曾有轄和怒兩個部落，兩部落彼此勢同水火，但轄部落土司的女兒美梅卻與怒部落土司的兒子文頓巴相愛了，但由於兩個部落結下的仇怨，轄部落的土司派人殺害了文頓巴，當爲文頓巴舉行火葬儀式時，美梅措跳進火海殉情。雙方死後，美梅措到變成內地茶樹上的茶葉，文頓巴變成羌塘鹽湖裏的鹽，每當藏族人打酥油茶時，茶和鹽就會再次相遇。