青稞 (qīngkē) · highland barley, qingke barley

Meanings

1 highland barley
2 qingke barley

About the ingredient

粮食 Grains and noodles

A hardy barley whose grains thresh free of their husks, from white to purple-black. In Tibetan areas it is roasted and ground into tsampa and brewed into barley wine; elsewhere it is sold as flour for noodles and steamed buns.

Characters

Examples

HSK 5

青稞是西藏最重要的粮食。

Qīngkē shì Xīzàng zuì zhòngyào de liángshi.

Highland barley is Tibet's most important grain.

HSK 7-9

在拉萨，很多家庭会自己用青稞酿酒。

Zài Lāsà, hěnduō jiātíng huì zìjǐ yòng qīngkē niàngjiǔ.

In Lhasa, many families brew their own liquor from highland barley.

Tips

culture

This hull-less barley grows where little else will, above 4,000 meters on the Tibetan Plateau. Roasted and ground, it becomes 糌粑, the Tibetan staple; brewed, it becomes 青稞酒 (barley liquor).