Ladakh is a cold desert which is cold like Kashmir, but is also much are arid. Its breakfast is also designed to combat these extremes in climate.
The most popular breakfast in Ladakh is butter tea with khambir and chulli.
The primary provider of milk in Ladakh is yak, thus, butter tea is a unique tea made of yak milk. However, the butter stands apart the most in its use of freshly churned butter which is brewed along with the tea. The butter provides the locals energy to combat their harsh atmosphere, as well as protect them from extreme dryness. Salt is also added to butter tea, also known as Po Cha.
The bread counterpart of tea in Ladakh is the khambir. Khambir is a thick-crusted bread made of whole wheat. It can be eaten with vegetables or eggs. A sweeter option is having khambir with butter and the special jam of Ladakh called chulli jam. Chulli is the local name of Ladakh’s famous apricots- a GI product of the region. Here’s the recipe for making Khambir.