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Bhutanese cuisine employs a lot of red rice (like brown rice in texture, but with a nutty taste, the only variety of rice that grows at high altitude), buckwheat, and increasingly maize. The diet in the hills also includes chicken, yak meat, dried beef, pork, pork fat and mutton. Soups […]

Thirty years ago, the fourth king of Bhutan famously proclaimed that “Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National Product,” setting the country on a development path that seeks to integrate sustainable and equitable socioeconomic development with environmental conservation, cultural promotion, and good governance. This “happiness” has nothing to […]

The national dress of Bhutan is called the ‘Gho’ for men and ‘Kira’ for women. It was introduced during the 17th century by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal to give the Bhutanese a unique identity. In an effort to preserve and promote its cultural heritage, all Bhutanese are required to wear the […]

Druk Tsendhen (“The Thunder Dragon Kingdom”) is the national anthem of Bhutan. Adopted in 1953, the music is by Aku Tongmi and the words are by Dasho Gyaldun Thinley. Original Bhutanese Lyrics:Druk tsendhenDruk tsendhen koipi gyelkhap naLug nyi ki tenpa chongwai gyonPel mewang ngadhak rinpo chheKu jurmey tenching chhap tsid […]

The national flag of Bhutan is representative of the country’s general features. The secular authority of the king is shown by the upper half of the flag, which is yellow, the color of fruitful action in state and religious affairs. The lower orange half of the flag represents the religious […]

The national emblem of Bhutan, contained in a circle, is composed of a double diamond-thunderbolt (Dorje) placed above a lotus, surmounted by a jewel and framed by two dragons. The thunderbolt represents the harmony between secular and religious power. The lotus symbolizes purity, the jewel expresses sovereign power and the […]