“Let’s Cook for Ama”

Yangyel Lhaden

Bhutanese women perform 71 percent of the unpaid domestic and care-giving work. This gap could have widened as Covid-19 led to schools closure and job losses.

This is according to a study called “Accounting for Unpaid work in Bhutan 2019” by National Commission for Women and Children.

Women take up primary role in household chores, especially with regard to cooking. To celebrate this important role played by women, Britannia Cheese  launched the first in series of five cookbook “Let’s Cook for Ama” in Thimphu Wednesday, coinciding with the 65th birth anniversary of His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck which is celebrated as Children’s Day in Bhutan.

“Let’s Cook for Ama” was launched also to encourage children, “brothers and husbands to set aside one day in [a] week to cook something special for that very important person in our lives.” The book is an interactive series featuring Bhutanese cuisine “in a fun, easy-to-follow and engaging story format.”

“Let’s Cook for Ama” has recipe-story about khulay and Kewa Datshi titled “A Sunday surprise”. It is a story about how a father and children plan a surprise for their mother for a breakfast in bed. It depicts how women are mostly overburdened with household chores.

The books will be distributed to 20 schools in the remote parts of the country along with Britannia gift hampers. The digital and PDF version of the cookbook can be found on their Facebook page Let’s Cook for Ama.

Chief commercial officer with Britannia, Gunjan Shah, said: “We are delighted to curate a special initiative for the quintessential Bhutanese women who are the anchors of every family. We hope this interactive campaign will help consumers in their culinary journey with cheese.”