chhaang

Information about chhaang

Chhaang or chang (Tibetan: ཆང་; Wylie: chang) (Nectar of Gods) is a popular alcoholic beverage in the eastern Himalayas.

Geographical prevalence

It is consumed by the people of Sikkim, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan and the Darjeeling Himalayan hill region of West Bengal with great enthusiasm.

Ingredients and drinking

Chhaang is a relative of the more universally known beer. Barley, millet (finger-millet) or rice is used to brew the drink. Semi-fermented seeds of millet are served, stuffed in a barrel of bamboo called the Dhungro. Then boiling water is poured and sipped through a narrow bore bamboo pipe called the Pipsing. In Nepal, it is called tongba by the Limbus. There is another term called jand which refers to the turbid liquor obtained by leaching out the extract with water from the fermented mash. Unlike chhang or tongba, it is liberally served in large mugs. These alcoholic beverages are prepared by using traditional starter called murcha. Murcha is prepared by using yeast and mold flora of wild herbs in cereal flours.

The brew tastes like ale. Alcohol content is quite low, but it produces an intense feeling of heat and well-being, ideal for enduring the temperatures which go well below freezing in winter.

Myth

It is said to be the best remedy to ward off the severe cold of the mountains. It reputedly has many healing properties for conditions like common cold, fever, allergic rhinitis,alcoholism etc.

According to legends, chhaang is also popular with the Yeti, who often raid isolated mountain villages to drink it.

Social correlates

This traditional drink is a must in many religious and most social occasions, from settling disputes, welcoming guests, to wooing.

See also

  • Raksi - Tibetan and Nepalese distilled alcoholic beverage. Jand, chhaang or other rice wines can be used for the distillation, which is traditionally carried out in single column distillation assembly.

External links

Tibetan

ISO 15924 Tibt

Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode.
The Tibetan script
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The Wylie transliteration scheme is a method for transliterating the Tibetan script using the keys on a typical English language typewriter.
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An alcoholic beverage (also known as booze in slang term) is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol, although in chemistry the definition of alcohol includes many other compounds.
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Himalayas (also Himalaya, Hindi: हिमालय, IPA pronunciation: [hɪ'mɑlijə], [ˌhɪmə'leɪjə]
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Coordinates:

Sikkim (Nepali: सिक्किम   (help info ) , also Sikhim
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Tibet (see Name section below for other spellings) is a Plateau region in Central Asia and the indigenous home to the Tibetan people. With an average elevation of 4,900 metres (16,000 ft), it is the highest region on Earth and is commonly referred to as the "Roof of the World.
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Motto
जननी जन्मभूमिष्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी   (Sanskrit)
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Druk Gyal-Khab
Dru Gäkhap
Kingdom of Bhutan


Flag Coat of arms
Anthem
Druk tsendhen
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Darjeeling Himalayan hill region is situated on the North-Western side of the state of West Bengal in India. This region belongs to the Eastern Himalaya range. The whole of the Darjeeling district except the Siliguri division constitutes the region.
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Coordinates: West Bengal (Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ Poshchimbôŋgo) is a state in eastern India.
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Beer is the world's oldest[1] and most popular[2][3] alcoholic beverage. It is produced by the fermentation of sugars derived from starch-based material — the most common being malted barley; however, wheat, corn, and rice are also widely
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millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one.
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RICE is a treatment method for soft tissue injury which is an abbreviation for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.[1][2][3] When used appropriately, recovery time is usually shortened and discomfort minimized.
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Fermentation typically refers to the conversion of sugar to alcohol using yeast under anaerobic conditions. A more general definition of fermentation is the chemical conversion of carbohydrates into alcohols or acids.
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Bambuseae
Kunth ex Dumort.

Diversity
Around 91 genera and 1,000 species

Subtribes
  • Arthrostylidiinae
  • Arundinariinae
  • Bambusinae
  • Chusqueinae
  • Guaduinae
  • Melocanninae
  • Nastinae
  • Racemobambodinae
  • Shibataeinae

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Tongba is a millet based alcoholic beverage found in the mountainous region of Nepal and the neighbouring Darjeeling district of India. Tongba is prepared by cooking and fermenting whole grain millet. The millet is then dried; traditionally it is stored under a roof for about six months.
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Limbus may refer to:
  • Limbus (ethnic group), an ethnic group in Asia
  • Corneal limbus
  • Limbus (band), a Swedish punk rock band
  • Limbo, the temporary status of the souls of good persons who died but did not go to Heaven

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Acute nasopharyngitis
Classification & external resources

ICD-10 J 00.0
ICD-9 460

DiseasesDB 31088
MedlinePlus 000678
eMedicine med/2339  
MeSH D003139 Acute viral nasopharyngitis, or acute coryza
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Fever
Classifications and external resources

ICD-10 R 50.
ICD-9 780.6

DiseasesDB .htm 18924 |]

Fever (also known as pyrexia, or a febrile response from the Latin word febris
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Hay Fever is a comic play written by Noel Coward in 1924 and first produced in 1925 with Marie Tempest as the first Judith Bliss. Best described as a cross between high farce and a comedy of manners, the play is set in a British country house in the 1920s, and deals with the four
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For the song by Starsailor, see .
Alcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions. In common and historic usage, alcoholism refers to any condition that results in the continued consumption of alcoholic beverages despite the
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Yeti

Purported Yeti scalp at Khumjung monastery
Creature

Name: Yeti
AKA: Abominable Snowman
Migoi, Meh-teh et al.
Classification
Grouping: Cryptid
Sub grouping: Hominid
Data
Country: Nepal, Tibet
Region: Himalayas
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Raksi is a traditional alcoholic beverage in Tibet and Nepal. Raksi is usually made from rice and is often compared to the similar Japanese drink sake. Raksi can also be made from kodo or millet, and the different grains produce different flavors.
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