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Use of barley among the Shuhi

Barley is one of the staple foods for the Shuhi, a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group in SW Sichuan, China

The crop are dried on the flat roofs of the houses

The crop are dried on the flat roofs of the houses

Winnowing of the dried crop on the roof of the house

To make barley wine, the grain is roasted. After roasting, water is added and the barley grains are cooked until all water is absorbed

To make barley wine, the grain is roasted. After roasting, water is added and the barley grains are cooked until all water is absorbed

Three to four mortared ‘‘chu’’ (white rings containing fish liver, honey, and other ingredients) are added to facilitate the fermentation process

Three to four mortared ‘‘chu’’ (white rings containing fish liver, honey, and other ingredients) are added to facilitate the fermentation process

Three to four mortared ‘‘chu’’ (white rings containing fish liver, honey, and other ingredients) are added to facilitate the fermentation process

The fermenting barley rests at least one night…

The fermenting barley rests at least one night…

The fermenting barley rests at least one night…

…and then is poured into earthen pots, which are tightly sealed with ash and clay

Barley wine can be extracted as early as three days after the pots are sealed but the pots also can be stored for several months

The remaining fermented grains then can be distilled for spirits

The remaining fermented grains then can be distilled for spirits

Beside barley wine, butter tea and tsampa (roasted barley flour) play an important role in the daily diet

The grains are milled with a vertical waterwheel mill, which is in a small stone hut built adjacent to streams in side valleys

a: wooden water channel b: multiple-winged waterwheel c: upper, moving mill stone d: wooden stick transferring vibrations from the millstone to the grain feeder e: grain feeder

Inside the mill

Inside the mill

Dough figures for consumption by the participants of a ritual as a medicinal or spiritual substance

Dough figures that have been prepared from tsampa and then decorated with butter

Ritualist preparing dough figures

Ritualist performing a healing ritual

Dough figures

A container with tsampa burned during the morning ritual

Morning ritual on the roof of the house

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Contact: President, Prof. Pulok K. Mukherjee | Director, School of Natural Product Studies | Dept. of Pharmaceutical Technology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032, India | pulokm@gmail.com

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