The main raw materials of Tibetan food include tsampa, butter tea, beef and mutton, highland barley wine, tea and different varieties of dairy products.

Tsampa is a staple food of the Tibetan people. Its raw material is flour made from fried highland barley or peas. Tsampa is rich in nutrients, fragrant and hunger-resistant, easy to carry and easy to preserve. Generally divided into four categories: "Nai Zan" (highland barley tsampa), "Sanxi" (peeled peas fried and ground), "Sanma" (pea tsampa), and "Bai San" (highland barley and peas mixed and ground). kind.

Ghee is extracted from milk. Pour the milk into a mixing barrel or special pottery, and stir it vigorously up and down or left and right hundreds of times to separate the oil and water. The layer of light yellow fat floating on the top is ghee. They were then wrapped in leather bags and either used at home or sold. "Qinghai Specialties Flavor Guide" points out: "The fat content of ghee is as high as 80%-90%, and contains protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin A, riboflavin, niacin and other ingredients. Each kilogram of ghee is in the human body The heat produced can reach about 4,000 calories. Therefore, people in Tibetan areas can withstand cold and hunger because they are located on the plateau and have a cold climate. This high-calorie food can enhance their ability to resist low temperatures. After the butter is extracted and boiled together with brick tea, you can get a rich butter tea.

Beef and mutton are important raw materials in Tibetan cuisine. The beef in Tibetan cuisine is mainly plateau yak meat, while the mutton is mostly sheep meat. Yak meat is bright red in color, tender and delicious, low in fat and high in protein. The air-dried meat that people often refer to refers to air-dried beef and mutton. With the development of the times, the improvement of living standards and the changing needs of people's tastes, there are more and more types of air-dried meat, and various seasonings are added during production. In addition to homemade meat, many food companies are also producing air-dried meat with different flavors.

Highland barley wine is a daily drink for Tibetan compatriots. It is not only used to entertain guests, but also often drank by family members. When they go out, they fill the wine with sheep bladders or skins and carry it in their arms for emergencies. If needed, it can be used to quench thirst while walking on the road, and can also be mixed with tsampa to quench hunger.

Drinking tea is just like dining. It is important to prioritize the older ones before the younger ones, the guest before the host. There is a Tibetan proverb: "Even if you are an enemy, don't pour just one cup of tea." This shows that it is taboo for guests to drink only one cup of tea. When drinking tea, you should not be too hasty or too fast, and you should not drink it to the end. You should first gently blow away the oil on the tea, and drink it several times. You must not make a "whooshing" sound. After drinking tea, leave a little tea at the bottom of the bowl as a courtesy.