CHENGDU — For many visitors, a culinary tour of Chengdu, Sichuan province, typically includes hotpot and other signature dishes known for their bold, tonguetingling flavors. For more seasoned diners, however, the city's thriving Tibetan restaurant scene has become a discovery of its own.
At the heart of Chengdu, Tibetan restaurants are a familiar sight, drawing food lovers from across China and the world. Their appeal lies in a menu that blends traditional Tibetan fare with creative adaptations, from Sichuan-style boiled yak slices to Tibetan-inspired pizzas.
Among the pioneers is A Rig, who came to Chengdu from the Garze Tibetan autonomous prefecture in Sichuan and opened a restaurant in 2000. At the time, an increasing number of Tibetans were moving to the city in search of employment opportunities.
The restaurant initially catered to fellow Tibetan migrants, but its menu gradually evolved to suit a broader customer base.
"We listened to our customers and learned new recipes from diners from different regions, so they could enjoy authentic flavors from their hometowns," says Tsenam Gemey, A Rig's daughter, who now helps run the business.
In its early years, the menu consisted largely of meat and dairy-based meals designed to meet the high-calorie needs of people living on the plateau. Over time, the family combined traditional Tibetan cooking with local culinary techniques, introducing a wider variety of stir-fried vegetables and meat dishes.
The restaurant's signature offering is stir-fried yak served with flatbread. Inspired by a traditional mutton dish from Tibetan herders in Qinghai province, A Rig replaced mutton with yak, a staple ingredient in Tibetan cuisine known for its mild flavor. She also reduced the use of strong seasonings to create a fresher flavor profile.
The family spent nearly three years refining the recipe. Today, it is among the most popular Tibetan dishes in Chengdu and has been adopted by numerous Tibetan restaurants across the city, A Rig says.
These adaptations helped the restaurant earn the top ranking among Tibetan eateries in Chengdu on Dianping, China's equivalent of Yelp, turning it into a destination in its own right for visitors exploring the city.
The restaurant's success mirrors the broader development of Tibetan cuisine in Chengdu over the past several decades. According to Chengdu's market regulation administration, the city is now home to 84 restaurants dedicated to Tibetan cuisine, with another 36 shops providing Tibetan-style sweet tea.
The growth of Tibetan dining in Chengdu has been driven by the city's sizable Tibetan population, rising interest in Tibetan culture and the openness of Chengdu's food scene, says Li Jin, a professor at the Center for Tibetan Studies of Sichuan University.
The recent "China Travel" boom and Chengdu's rapid rise as a social media hot spot have further accelerated that trend.
As Chengdu received 2.38 million inbound tourists last year, a year-on-year increase of 44.3 percent, Tsenam Gemey noticed a substantial increase in international diners.
"The restaurant receives foreign diners every day, and many are experiencing Tibetan culture from western Sichuan for the first time," she says.
Beyond commercial success, A Rig takes particular pride in the opportunities the restaurant has created for people from Tibetan communities.
"Many of my employees came from less-developed regions, and some could hardly read or write when they joined. Now they can speak fluent Mandarin and even some English, with skills to pursue their dreams anywhere in China," she says.
XINHUA
