Main forms
Soft Churpi is cooked into meals; hard Churpi is dried for slow chewing and long storage.
Traditional Himalayan cheese
Churpi
Explore the history, craft, varieties, and cultural life of one of the Himalaya's most durable foods.
At a glance
A mountain food built for altitude, travel, and time.
Milk sources
Yak, chauri, cow, and sometimes other local milks are used depending on region and herd.
Years possible
Some hard Churpi can keep for years when dried and stored well in traditional conditions.
What is it?
Churpi, also written Chhurpi, is a fermented Himalayan cheese.
It is associated with Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, Sikkim, Darjeeling, and neighboring highland communities. Its power is practical: it turns milk into a portable food that can survive difficult terrain, cold weather, and long journeys.
Depending on how it is prepared, Churpi can be fresh and crumbly, firm and smoky, or so hard that people chew a small piece for a long time as it slowly softens.
Try it
Find your Churpi learning path.
Start with varieties and recipes.
Learn the difference between soft and hard Churpi, then browse simple serving ideas from Himalayan kitchens.
Open varieties