 Guthuk | |
| Type | Stew Soup |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Amdo,Tibet |
| Region or state | Tibet,Nepal,Qinghai,Sichuan |
| Associatedcuisine | Tibetan cuisine |
| Created by | Tibetan people |
| Main ingredients | beans, vegetables, meat |
Guthuk (Tibetan:དགུ་ཐུག་,English: 'Gu= 9, Thuk= stew soup ' or 29 date of Bot calendar celebrate so called Guthuk)[1] is a stew soup inSherpa orTibetan cuisine, made with various ingredients like beans, vegetables, meat, or left over harvested grains.[2] It is eaten two days beforeLosar, the Bot orTibetan New Year[a][2] and is a variation onthukpa bhatuk. The Tibetan religious ceremonyGutor (དགུ་གཏོར), literally meaning 'offering of the 29th', is held on the 29th of the 12th Bot or Tibetan month, and is focused on driving out all negativity, including evil spirits and misfortunes of the past year, and starting the new year in a peaceful and auspicious way.[2] It is made withbarley and other ingredients.
The temples and monasteries throughout Tibet hold grand religious dance ceremonies, with the largest atPotala Palace inLhasa. Families clean their houses on this day, decorate the rooms and eatguthuk. In the evening, the people carry torches, calling out the words of exorcism.[4]
On that day the monasteries do a protector deities' ritual (a special kind of ritual) and begin preparations for the Losar celebrations. The custom that day is to makeguthuk of nine different ingredients including dried cheese and various grains. Also, dough balls are given out with various ingredients hidden in them such as chilies, salt, wool, rice and coal. The ingredients one finds hidden in one's dough ball are supposed to be a lighthearted comment on one's character. If a person finds chilies in their dough, it means they are talkative. If white-colored ingredients like salt, wool or rice are inside the dough it is considered a good sign. If a person finds coal in the dough it has much the same meaning as finding coal in one'sChristmas stocking; it means one has a "black heart".
