Thanks to modern technology, Tibetans are now making more money than they used to from qingke -- a kind of highland barley unique to western China's Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province.
Traditionally qingke is used only to make alcoholic spirits or zanba, a staple food for Tibetans made from roasted qingke flour, but now new products made from qingke like beer and cornmeal are selling like hot cakes.
Qingke is a true organic food, experts say. The highland barley is nutritious, rich in mineral elements and a unique health food believed capable of reducing blood fats, improving digestion, and preventing diabetes and altitude sickness.
These days, qingke is finding favour among a growing number of townsfolk.
Lobsang Wangdui is board chairman of the Tibet Shenggu qingke Foodstuffs Development company which has developed qingke cornmeal.
"Previously, because simple and backward methods were used to process qingke, the added value of its products was low, so a qingke barley farmer could not earn much though he might harvest 50,000 kilograms of qingke barley," said Lobsang.
Lobsang said applying modern science to developing a series of products based on the typical Tibetan crop could enormously raise the added value of qingke and with it increase the incomes of Tibetan farmers.
This in turn will help the economy develop with a Tibetan flavour and agricultural diversity.
Lobsang disclosed that his company would soon put eight new qingke-based products on the market depending on demand. A 14-member task force with the Lhasa Brewery of Tibet successfully developed quality beer made from qingke last October.
"I think qingke barley beer tastes good," a Tibetan lad named Lhagba said after he drank a glass at a qingke barley beer promotion fair held early last month. "It is really nice and I will stick to such beer in the future," said Lhagba, nodding his head in satisfaction.
Liu Houxi, a Lhasa Brewery official, said the qingke beer was now on sale and going down well with consumers.
"Tibetans have a long history of drinking clear alcoholic spirits made from qingke barley. However, such spirits, mostly distilled in cottage backyards, do not taste good because of inadequate hygiene and are losing more and more customers," said Liu.
Liu predicted the qingke beer has great business potential as the beer appeals to modern consumers.
(People's Daily July 5, 2002)
