Delicious Jerky ▎ The Meat Traditions of Tibet
"Astrological Chart: The Three Cosmic Wheels and the Deities of Heaven, Earth, and the Human Realm"
Late 19th Century, Collection of the Rubin Museum
Detail: Various Enterprises Flourish in the Pastoral Regions
"Norbu Dhondup Hosting a New Year's Gathering"
Photographed by Harry Staunton in 1940 or 1941
Held in the Collection of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford
*Dried meat and *khasé (ཁ་ཟས་, Tibetan fried snacks) are on the table.
ཤ་ནི་སྙིང་རྗེ་ཅན་གྱིས་བཟའ།
ཆང་ནི་དམ་ཚིག་ཅན་གྱིས་འཐུང་།
Those who uphold compassion may eat meat.
Those who uphold vows may drink alcohol.
—As two well-known proverbs widely in Tibet),
Karma Chakme (ཀརྨ་ཆགས་མེད་; 1609/1613–1678)
offered a detailed and profound textual analysis of them.
To learn more about this polymath of the classical period,
please refer to previous articles on dream omens and pure lands at the end of this piece.
"Blue Beryl Medical Thangka: Internal and External Causes of Disease and Modes of Illness"
Early 20th Century, Men-Tsee-Khang, Lhasa
Detail: Avoid excessive consumption of fatty, greasy, and sweet foods, as well as excessive drinking,
as these can lead to disorders of the *Tripa (མཁྲིས་པ་, bile-related) category.
"King Songtsen Gampo with His Two Consorts and Two Ministers"
Mid-19th Century, Private Collection
Detail: The renowned chancellor, Gar Tongtsen (མགར་སྟོང་བཙན་).
The saltwater-soaked jerky left the clever shepherd boy parched, his tongue dry and burning, prompting him to say, "Whoever offers me barley wine, I shall speak without reserve." According to historical records, the ministers governing the five core regions of Tibet, under the command of King Songtsen Gampo, were sent to their respective territories to seek wise counsel on the establishment of the kingdom's legal code. Among them, the renowned chancellor Gar Tongtsen (མགར་སྟོང་བཙན་) heard of two exceptionally intelligent youths in his jurisdiction: one named Dar Gyal Mangpoje (དར་རྒྱལ་མང་པོ་རྗེ་) and the other Chim Mangzher Ngenpa (མཆིམས་མང་བཞེར་ངན་པ་). Unexpectedly, both youths displayed an uncooperative attitude (some scholars emphasize the localist tendencies of the time). To accomplish the task of legislation, Gar Tongtsen devised a plan (or it is said that the plan was provided and executed by Dar Gyal Mangpoje), hiding wine and offering jerky instead. Ultimately, Chim Mangzher Ngenpa, intoxicated from drinking the wine, divulged numerous governance strategies to Gar Tongtsen, covering administrative planning and the hierarchy of subjects. The "salt-soaked jerky" (ཤ་སྐམ་ཚྭས་སྦོང་།) thus became a allusion often used in later times to signify "the wise being outwitted."
"Blue Beryl Medical Thangka: Dietary Regulation"
Early 20th Century, Men-Tsee-Khang, Lhasa
Detail: One should consume honey, rice porridge, and beef regularly.
Avoid excessive sun exposure, as it may harm the essential substances within the body.
"Blue Beryl Medical Thangka: Dietary Regulation"
Early 20th Century, Men-Tsee-Khang, Lhasa
Detail: Moderate consumption of bone marrow and animal fat can nourish and generate vital essence.
Despite such allusions, salt-cured jerky was not the norm in classical Tibet. When livestock died of famine, their meat was collectively referred to as "famine meat" (མུག་ཤ་), and jerky made from such meat often required salting (customs varied by region). As an essential part of the "red food" (དམར་ཟས་) category in Tibetan dietary culture, jerky was enjoyed by farmers, herders, monks, and laypeople alike. In both classical texts and daily life, common types of jerky included yak meat jerky (considered the finest of meats), mutton jerky (with many regional taboos surrounding sheep meat), pork jerky (especially in the Nyingchi region and parts of Kham), and fish jerky. The "water taboo" in Tibetan dietary culture has long been a topic of discussion, yet historical texts do mention groups (and even notable individuals) in Tibet who consumed fish and other aquatic products. For example, during the reign of the 30th Tibetan king, Drongnyen Deru Tsan (འབྲོང་གཉན་ལྡེ་རུ་བཙན་), his queen from the Dakpo region (a historical-geographical term in Tibet; encompassing much of today's Gyaca and Nang counties) (མཆིམས་བཟའ་ཀླུ་རྒྱལ་) was known to eat fish due to regional customs and personal preference (with frogs symbolizing aquatic creatures). Scholars commenting on this historical event have noted that this queen's consumption of fish was not an isolated case.
"Milarepa"
Late 16th Century, Private Collection
"Dudjom Lingpa, Yidam Dorje"
Mid to Late 19th Century, Rubin Museum of Art Collection
Meat is precious and must not be wasted. Tibetan meat-processing techniques can be categorized into six types: slaughtering methods (including established customs that align with natural laws, such as timing, quantity, methods, and rituals of slaughter), cutting methods (in some regions, specific knowledge of animal anatomy is passed down to designated family members, such as the eldest son or daughter), differentiation methods (how to distinguish between meats of different animals and different parts of the same animal), insect prevention methods (discussed in detail in at least three classical texts; falling under the realm of pharmacology), preservation methods (which vary depending on the regional environment), and jerky-making methods (at least two classical texts on craftsmanship and medicine describe different jerky-making techniques, such as air-drying and cooking-drying). Ingredients like Amomum tsao-ko, nutmeg, and Elsholtzia, categorized into black, yellow, and purple types in Tibetan medical texts can all be used to prevent insect infestation in meat. To prevent meat from spoiling, three preservation methods are listed in known Tibetan classics: proper utensil preservation, spice preservation, and natural preservation. The well-known air-drying method is one type of natural preservation. It is important to note that culinary arts related to meat form a relatively independent system, and relevant literature should be a focus of future research.
*Charts of Calendars and Auspicious Concepts*.
Mid to late 19th century, private collection.
Detail: Four types of animals that bring prosperity to their owner.
Herbivores - Domestic animals - Ferocious beasts - Birds.
*The Meat Market in Lhasa*.
1920 or 1921, photographed by Rabden Lepcha.
Collection of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford.
*A Man Selling Meat*.
1980s, photographed by Michael Aris.
Collection of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford.
Contrary to common perceptions, classical Tibet did not practice extreme vegetarianism or a strict ban on killing. Moreover, based on contemporary vegetarian philosophy and animal liberation movements, both the white food tradition (primarily consisting of dairy products like cheese, milk, and butter, supplemented with grains, fruits, and vegetables) and the red food tradition (involving meat) in Tibet have been subject to ongoing criticism. Therefore, regarding the issue of "killing and non-killing," Tibet has developed a pragmatic strategy steeped in divinity, shaped by millennia of discussion and practice. According to the explanations found in both exoteric and esoteric texts (refer to the works of Karma Chakme), meat is classified based on specific criteria (deliberate killing without purpose and designated killing are generally frowned upon). The ethical considerations surrounding meat consumption (how slaughter promotes natural harmony, the individual's compassionate beliefs while eating meat, specific mantras to purify the karma of slaughter and meat consumption, etc.) are also significant. In the legends of Milarepa, this accomplished master did not show aversion to meat (in certain contexts, eating meat could even aid spiritual practice). In the life story of Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje (མདོ་མཁྱེན་བརྩེ་ཡེ་ཤེས་རྡོ་རྗེ；1800-1866), we even find accounts of him killing animals and allowing his disciples to eat meat. At the end of the story, Yeshe Dorje revives a sheep reduced to skin and bones, a common narrative trope since the 17th century (highlighting that human dietary needs are not insignificant). The 18th century and beyond marked a golden period for discussions on "killing" in Tibet. While some scholars adhered to strict non-killing principles, most tacitly accepted this culturally ingrained practice. As a proverb states: "Tibet loves its meat, yet this land also nurtures its sages."
Rigdzin Kunga Sherab and His Lineage of Teachings.
Late 18th century, Rubin Museum of Art.
Detail: Karma Chakme, a figure revered by both the Kagyu and Nyingma schools.
He authored texts explaining Tibet's meat-eating tradition,
along with the profound spiritual significance and cultural context behind it,
such as On the Permissibility of Eating Meat for the Compassionate from Exoteric and Esoteric Perspectives.
Meat and Grocery Stalls Outside Sera Monastery in Lhasa.
1936, photographed by Frederick Spencer Chapman.
Collection of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford.
"In virtuous vessels, meat is served; when eating meat, do not forget the suffering of all beings. Both farming and herding involve the act of killing, but with a mind of compassion, there is no evil hindrance." The people living on the plateau will always coexist with meat, as it provides them with boundless vitality. They are grateful for the kindness of all things and regard meat as a central topic for deep reflection in their philosophy of life. By adhering to ancient virtues and following a way of life that aligns with the laws of nature, people can perceive the true essence of nature and life while consuming meat.
*Sipa Khorlo and Auspicious Symbols of Calendars*.
Late 18th century, Rubin Museum of Art.
Detail: Various domestic animals bring auspiciousness to the owner's endeavors.
