Culture of Bhutan chili peppers (similar to chili con queso), might be called the national dish for its ubiquity and the pride that Bhutanese have for it. Other foods include: "jasha maru" (a chicken dish), "phaksha paa", "thukpa", "bathup", and fried rice. Dairy foods, particularly butter and cheese from yaks and cows, are also popular, and indeed almost all milk is turned into butter and cheese. Popular beverages include: butter tea, black tea, locally brewed "ara" (rice wine), and beer. Popular spices include: curry, cardamom, ginger, "thingay" (Sichuan pepper), garlic, turmeric, and caraway. When offered food, one says "meshu meshu", covering one's mouth
Chili powder may vary from mild to very hot. Hot varieties are called "cheongyang-gochugaru", since they are made from hotter cheongyang chili peppers rather than regular Korean reds. Chili powder blends are composed chiefly of chili peppers and blended with other spices including cumin, onion, garlic powder, and sometimes salt. The chilis are most commonly either red chili peppers or cayenne peppers, which are both of the species "Capsicum annuum". As a result of the various potential additives, the spiciness of any given chili powder is variable. The first commercial blends of chili powder in the U.S. were created by D.C. Pendery