Food · Lachung
Thenthuk and butter tea in a homestay kitchen
The warmest place in Lachung on a winter night is the kitchen. Ask your homestay if you can sit by the stove while they cook thenthuk, the hand-pulled noodle soup, and taste salted butter tea and dried chhurpi cheese.
Lachungpa cooking is mountain food: thick soups, noodles, potatoes, radish, dried meat in winter and lots of tea. Thenthuk is a broth with flat noodle pieces pinched by hand straight into the pot, with vegetables and sometimes meat. Thukpa is the long-noodle cousin. Both are filling, cheap and right for a cold evening.
Many homestays cook on a wood or gas stove in a kitchen that is also the family's sitting room. Ask politely in the afternoon whether you can join while dinner is cooked. Butter tea, salted and churned with butter, is an acquired taste; try a small cup. Hard chhurpi, dried yak or cow cheese, is chewed for hours like a sweet.
There is no fee if you are a guest, and most families are pleased to explain. Do not expect a set cooking class with recipes. If you want the same dishes in a cafe, a bowl of thukpa or thenthuk on the main road costs about ₹100–180, and momos about ₹120–180 a plate.
Cost: Included in homestay meals · ₹100–180 at a cafe
Questions people ask
Good to know
What is thenthuk?
Thenthuk is a Tibetan noodle soup in which flat pieces of dough are pulled by hand and dropped straight into a simmering broth with vegetables and sometimes meat. It is common in Lachung, Lachen and Gangtok homes, especially in winter, and costs about ₹100–180 a bowl in a small cafe.
Is vegetarian food available in Lachung?
Yes. Homestays and tour hotels serve dal, rice, vegetables and roti or puri as standard, and vegetarian thukpa and momos are easy to find. Tell your agent or host in advance if you are strictly vegetarian or Jain, as kitchens are small and may use the same vessels.
Is butter tea safe to drink at altitude?
Yes. Butter tea is tea churned with butter and salt, and many highland people drink it to stay warm and keep energy up. It is rich, so start with a small cup if you are not used to it. Plain milk tea is always available too.
Also in Lachung
More things to do
Monasteries · 1.5 hoursLachung Monastery in the quiet hoursLachung · Free · donation welcome
Culture and history · 2 hoursA Dzumsa village walk with your hostLachung · Free · tip your host if they guide you
Treks and walks · 2–3 hoursOrchards and autumn colour on the east bankLachung · Free · apples ₹100–200 a kg