The high altitude and severe weather of the eastern Himalayas and Tibet have been conducive to the development of beverages which are both high in food value and served warm. The beverages, tea,chang, arak andmarwa, account for one-quarter to one-half of the daily caloric intake of the inhabitants and are characteristic of the region in the methods of their preparation. The malting process in the preparation ofchang, arak andmarwa is distinctively Mongolian and appears to have been introduced to Tibet from China. The beverage tea was also introduced from China, but its preparation in this region is distinctively Tibetan.