Bhutanese Refugees in the United States : Their Dietary Habits and Food Shopping Practices

Three household observations and semistructured interviews (n = 14) were conducted with Bhutanese refugee mothers to understand food shopping and dietary practices in this group of the refugee populations. Participants were recruited through a resettlement agency and snowballing techniques. Observation results indicated that steaming and stir-frying were common cooking methods and spices such as green chilies, turmeric, and fenugreek seeds were used commonly in seasoning. All the interview participants received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and went to multiple stores for food shopping. Semistructured interview results indicated that Bhutanese women continued preparing traditional meals of rice, vegetables, lentil, or meat curry and fresh pickle.