在拉萨八廓街,让游客排队的不只有甜茶馆。如今,一碗牦牛酸奶,也成为越来越多人来到西藏后的“必打卡”美食。

社交平台上,“拉萨酸奶地图”“拉萨美食必吃榜”等攻略不断涌现,不少游客专门寻找最地道的原味牦牛酸奶,也有人热衷于打卡青稞酸奶、蜂蜜酸奶、酸奶冰淇淋等各种创新吃法。

Walk along Barkhor Street in Lhasa, Xizang autonomous region, and you'll notice that visitors are lining up for more than just sweet tea. Tibetan yak yogurt has become one of the city's most talked-about local specialties.

Travel guides and social media posts feature "Lhasa yogurt maps", must-eat food lists, and photos of yogurt topped with honey, roasted highland barley, or fruit. It is even served as ice cream.

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图源:小红书截图

为什么西藏牦牛酸奶不一样?

牦牛酸奶是藏族群众日常生活中不可或缺的传统食品。它采用牦牛鲜奶自然发酵而成,质地浓稠、口感酸爽,与人们日常食用的普通酸奶有着明显不同。

For generations, yak yogurt has been an indispensable part of daily Tibetan life. Made from yak milk through natural fermentation, it is valued for its nutrition and as a symbol of hospitality and blessing.

西藏自治区藏医院藏医卓玛介绍,牦牛酸奶富含高原特有的活性益生菌,有助于促进消化、改善肠道健康、促进食欲和帮助睡眠。牦牛奶中的钙含量约为普通牛奶的两倍,蛋白质和脂肪含量也明显更高,因此具有较高的营养价值。

According to Drolma, a doctor at the Tibetan Medicine Hospital of Xizang, yak yogurt contains indigenous probiotics unique to the plateau that help stimulate appetite, improve digestion, and promote better sleep.

Yak milk itself is exceptionally nutrient-dense, containing almost twice as much calcium as ordinary cow's milk, as well as significantly higher levels of protein and fat.

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吉祥面饼牦牛酸奶

在藏族文化中,酸奶与牛奶、奶渣并称“三白食”,寓意纯洁、吉祥和富足。已有300多年历史的雪顿节又被称为“酸奶节”。2006年,雪顿节被列入第一批国家级非物质文化遗产名录。最初,农牧民会在僧人夏季闭关结束后敬献酸奶。如今,雪顿节已经发展成为集酸奶宴、藏戏演出、展佛等活动于一体的重要传统节日。

Yak yogurt is deeply rooted in Tibetan culture. It is one of the "three white foods", alongside milk and cheese curds, symbolizing purity, prosperity, and good fortune. It also plays a central role in Shoton, one of Xizang's best-known festivals.

Dating back more than 300 years, the festival began with farmers and herders offering yogurt to monks after their summer retreat, before evolving into today's celebration featuring yogurt feasts, Tibetan opera, and other cultural activities.

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当地食客品尝藏式酸奶

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游客在拍摄藏式酸奶

除了原味,还有哪些新吃法

随着旅游业的发展,牦牛酸奶也不断创新。如今,在拉萨街头,除了传统原味牦牛酸奶,酸奶冰淇淋、蜂蜜酸奶、青稞酸奶、果酱酸奶等产品越来越受到游客欢迎

Tibetan yak yogurt is also evolving to suit modern palates. Specialty yogurt shops now offer yogurt ice cream and creative combinations with honey, roasted highland barley, fruit, and other local ingredients.

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店员制作酸奶冰淇淋

不过,多位店铺经营者表示,最畅销的依然是传统原味牦牛酸奶。“很多游客第一次觉得有点酸,但正是这种天然发酵的味道,让不少人慢慢喜欢上了牦牛酸奶。”

While these new flavors have become popular among younger consumers, shop owners say traditional plain yak yogurt remains the bestseller, adding that many visitors are surprised by its tangy taste at first, but soon come to appreciate the complex flavor created.

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桂花牦牛酸奶

酸奶中藏着怎样的“风味密码”

目前,采用传统工艺制作的牦牛酸奶保质期仅约3天,需要全程冷链运输,因此很难实现大范围销售。

Authentic yak yogurt remains difficult to distribute widely because it contains no additives, stays fresh for only about three days, and requires cold-chain transportation.

为了保留这种独特风味,过去7年,西藏自治区农牧科学院科研团队深入农牧区,采集传统酸奶、奶渣、酒曲等发酵食品样品,成功分离出2000余株食品源菌株,并筛选出6株性能稳定的本土乳酸菌

To preserve its distinctive flavor, researchers at the Xizang Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences have spent seven years collecting fermented food samples from farming and pastoral communities. Led by Zhang Yuhong, the team isolated more than 2,000 microbial strains and identified six indigenous lactic acid bacteria strains capable of recreating Tibetan yogurt's signature "plateau flavor".

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牧民正在检查酸奶是否发酵完成

这意味着,过去主要依靠农牧民代代传承的传统酸奶制作技艺,正逐步转化为可保存、可研究、可标准化应用的发酵技术,让西藏牦牛酸奶这一独特风味得到更好的保护与传承。

The research is helping preserve a fermentation tradition that was once passed down only through generations of herding families, allowing it to be studied, standardized, and carried forward into the future.

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记者: 华旦尼玛 郑金冉

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