Alainchi (cardamom)
Alainchi is the large or black cardamom of the eastern Himalaya, the dark, smoke-dried pods of Amomum subulatum. Its camphor-cool, smoky seeds season Himalayan and North Indian cooking and a sweet Nepali lapsi achar.
Cultures
Phab
Bhutanese Phab, called Pho in a 2018 study, is a Drukpa starter associated with Ara. Bhutan sample studies document it separately from Ladakhi phabs; matching names elsewhere do not establish one culture.
Bhutanese Phab and Pho
Anupma and colleagues use both spellings, Pho and Phab, for a dark, flattened starter associated with the Drukpa community in northwestern Bhutan. Their 2018 article associates it with Ara. This supports keeping Pho as a source spelling for the Bhutanese starter already represented by this candidate.
Pradhan and Tamang's 2019 study sampled two starters named Phab in Bhutan and lists Dhonakha as the collection site. The paper's picture caption labels a Bhutan sample as Phab. These sources identify a named regional starter, but do not establish that every cake has the same composition or that sample findings define a standard product.
Keep similarly named starters separate
The existing `phabs` record describes a Ladakhi starter documented in Nubra Valley for barley-based Chhang and Aarak. Its source describes roasted barley flour and Artemisia twigs. The Bhutan accounts instead identify Drukpa Pho/Phab, associated with maize-based materials and Ara. Different source-defined forms and places support keeping these as separate records; the spelling alone does not justify a merge.
A 2007 Himachal paper also uses the name phab for an inoculum in its Lahaul–Spiti rice-chhang account, where the fermented precursor is chhang and the distillate is sra. The article does not connect that inoculum to Bhutanese Phab/Pho or Ladakhi phabs. `sra` remains its own held recipe record, and no link or identity change was made.
Evidence limits
The sources support a Bhutan-specific identity, regional association and use with Ara. The microbiology study's sample results are not a universal ingredient list or a home-care protocol. The cited materials do not supply a standardized composition or validated safety controls; this note therefore gives no executable starter-making steps.
Places
Northwestern Bhutan
Documented preparation · Region evidenceAnupma et al. describe Pho/Phab among Drukpa communities in northwestern Bhutan. This is a documented regional association, not a claim of origin or exclusivity.
Bhutan
Documented preparation · Country evidencePradhan and Tamang report two sampled Phab starters from Bhutan, with Dhonakha listed as their collection site; the samples do not represent every producer.
Related
More from Bhutan
Matsutake
Matsutake is a prized wild ectomycorrhizal mushroom associated with pine and other forest trees, valued especially in Japan, Korea and China for its distinctive spicy aroma, firm texture and seasonal rarity.
Yak milk
Milk from female domestic yaks is a rich, seasonal ingredient for household tea, butter, curds, and cheeses across highland pastoral systems.
Community
No community contributions have been published for this entry yet.
Share what you made
Sign in to contribute. Published comments and photos are free to read.
Sources
Indian Journal of Traditional KnowledgeIdentity · Use · Geography
Traditional skill of ethnic people of the Eastern Himalayas and North East India in preserving microbiota as dry amylolytic startersThe article calls the Bhutanese starter Pho or Phab and describes it as a flat, dark-brown, maize-based amylolytic starter associated with the Drukpa community in northwestern Bhutan.
The article associates Pho with preparation of the Bhutanese alcoholic drink Ara and reports starter-making knowledge; its account is not a validated safety or quality protocol.
Cited in: Bhutanese Phab and Pho; Evidence limits
Frontiers in MicrobiologyIdentity · Geography · Science
Phenotypic and Genotypic Identification of Bacteria Isolated From Traditionally Prepared Dry Starters of the Eastern HimalayasThe study distinguishes Phab from other named dry starters and reports two Phab samples from Bhutan; Dhonakha is listed as the collection site.
The paper describes Phab as a dark-brown flattened starter associated with powdered maize and rice husk and Ara production; these study descriptions do not establish every local form or a universal culture composition.
The study analyzes bacteria in collected samples and does not validate household propagation or food-safety controls.
Cited in: Bhutanese Phab and Pho; Evidence limits
Indian Journal of Traditional KnowledgeIdentity · Geography · Comparison
Preparation of Phabs - an indigenous starter culture for production of traditional alcoholic beverage, Chhang, in LadakhThe paper documents Ladakhi phabs in Nubra Valley as a barley-based starter used for Chhang and Aarak.
The Ladakhi starter's documented name, substrate and regional context differ from the Bhutanese Phab/Pho accounts; spelling similarity alone does not establish a shared culture.
Cited in: Keep similarly named starters separate
Indian Journal of Traditional KnowledgeIdentity · Comparison · Geography
Traditional foods and beverages of Himachal PradeshThe article uses the name phab for the inoculum in a Lahaul–Spiti rice-chhang account whose distillate it calls sra.
That separate regional use does not identify the Lahaul–Spiti inoculum as Bhutan's Phab/Pho or Ladakh's phabs.
Cited in: Keep similarly named starters separate