From yak to yoghurt, the staples of Tibetan fare will be the focal point of an upcoming festival starting August 23.

The Shoton (Yoghurt) Festival originated 1,000 years ago and prospered in the 17th century, when nomads and farmers offered yoghurt to monks ending their annual summer meditation retreat.

To mark the major Tibetan festival, Qomolangma Hotel Beijing will hold a Shoton Festival Food Week from August 22 to 26, offering some of Tibet's traditional specialities.

The hotel's restaurant is the one of the few places hand-torn yak can be found in Beijing. Diners tear the stewed yak slices into thinner slices, so that they are easier to chew. Eaten like this, the yak is not tough and still retains its original taste. The yak is transported to Beijing in vacuum bags and customers can buy them at 38 yuan (US$4.75) per 400-gram pack.

Tibetan mutton with bones is cut into slices before being marinated with Tibetan grasses and spices and then boiled. It is served with a bowl of yellow sauce with Tibetan chilli, which may be a bit too spicy for some palates.

Tibetan roast lamb leg is marinated with a special sauce for two hours before it is roasted in the oven for an hour. A restaurant chef will show diners how Tibetan people eat the mutton leg with a traditional Tibetan knife. The mutton is then served with sauce and wrapped in small flour pastries, like Beijing roast duck.

Zanba cakes made of highland barley are said to lower cholesterol and prevent high blood pressure. Butter tea and yoghurt are homemade and have incredibly distinctive tastes.

Qomolangma Hotel Restaurant also offers sour sweet Qingke barley wine, Lhasa beer and Tibetan liquor.

A singing and dancing performance by a team consisting of the restaurant's staff starts at 7:30 pm. It used to be only on Friday nights, but they will be performing every evening during the Shoton Festival celebration.

The special Shoton Festival buffet costs 128 yuan (US$16) per person. Those who make a reservation get a 10 per cent discount, and those who come in big groups get 20 per cent off. The menu is in both Chinese and English.

The restaurant is in the basement level. The hotel is next to the Tibet Autonomous Region's Beijing office.

The Shoton (Yoghurt) Festival Celebration 
Date/Time: 6pm-9pm, August 22-26.
Location: Qomolangma Hotel Beijing, 149 Gulou Xidajie, Xicheng District
Tel: 010-6401-8822 ext 2828/2826 (in Chinese)