Traditional Tibetan grain finds new uses

LHASA－The huge machines roar as they go through the magnetic separation and impurity removal process. To make sure they're doing what they should, 32-year-old Lhachung, workshop director at the Tibet Zangyuan Highland Barley Technology factory in Taktse district in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region, walks around in a mask and headgear, carefully checking the results.

In recognition of his hard work and dedication to highland barley research, he was awarded the title of National Model Worker in 2020.

Highland barley has been planted in the region for over 3,500 years. It is fermented to make wine and ground into a flour known as zanba, a Tibetan staple eaten for breakfast and throughout the day.

Lhachung recalls that when he was a child, his parents used to make highland barley wine.

"At the time, traditional highland barley wine spoiled easily due to improper storage. But now, bottled or canned, it can be kept longer and sent to other provinces such as Sichuan and Jiangsu," he said.

The factory now makes a range of products, including highland barley rice, flour and strips and is helping introduce them to the country, and even the world.

"Highland barley can be steamed and eaten with rice. Highland barley flour can be mixed with milk powder and made into little snacks, like milk flakes or biscuits," Lhachung said.

Meanwhile, the strips have a soft and chewy texture and can be boiled and eaten like noodles or fried rice cakes, he added.

Developed by the company, the strips can now be found in some restaurants in Lhasa and may potentially sell well in foreign markets as they contain Pueraria, an herb that helps reduce sugar and lipids in the blood. "Pueraria soup is widely known and popular in Japan as an herbal remedy for colds," explained Kana, a Japanese woman who owns a cafe in Lhasa.

Dorje Palden, one of Lhachung's colleagues, said that the workshop director always arrives at the factory early and leaves late at night. "He is often busy in the factory or in the research and development room working on his highland barley products, and sometimes he doesn't come home," his wife Padma said.

In July last year, Lhachung was put in charge of a newly established innovation studio at the company, which is focused on product development. The booming business is also a blessing for farmers.

Since last year, the factory has purchased over 1,100 metric tons of the grain for about 5 yuan (76 cents) per kilogram.

Xinhua