Background
Tibetan food is indicative of the region itself. Popular dishes often include ingredients indigenous to the mountainous area, such as yak or goat products (meat, milk and cheese). Crops must be able to survive in high altitudes, so many ingredients like rice and tea must either be grown in the few areas of lower altitude, or imported from surrounding countries.
Tibetan Foods
Popularization In NYC
Since the early 2000's, New York City has seen a spike in immigration from the Himalayan region, and with immigrants comes new culture (and, of course, cuisine). Jackson Heights, Queens, became home to many of these new citizens, just as it had for Indians and other South Asians in the past. Thus, the area quickly began to burst with Tibetan cuisine, which eventually spread into the other boroughs in turn. Today, Tibetan food has only grown in popularity, and we can expect to see even more restaurants to pop up in the future around the entire New York City area.