The Food of Myanmar

The cuisine of Myanmar (formerly Burma) has been influenced by the respective cuisines of China, India and Thailand. However, in spite of this, Burmese cuisine has unique preparation techniques and distinct flavours unlike any other. You could also find variations of it in some top french cuisine london restaurants but Burmese cuisine is still best tasted on its mother land - Myanmar.

Different regions of Myanmar have different variations of "standard" dishes. Use of seafood is more prevalent along coastal cities such as Sittwe, Kyaukpyu, Mawlamyaing (formerly Moulmein), Mergui and Dawei, while meat and poultry are more commonly used in landlocked cities like Mandalay.
Fish and shrimp from rivers, lakes and streams, however, have traditionally been the main source of protein in a variety of ways, fresh, salted whole or filleted, salted and dried, made into a salty paste, or fermented sour and pressed.
Beef and pork, although certainly not forbidden, are avoided by many Buddhists and Muslims respectively. Vegetarian dishes are also common, as especially during the Buddhist lent (Wa-dwin), a three-month rains retreat, eating only before midday (u bouk saunk) and abstaining from meat (thet that lut) is observed by many devout Buddhists.
Burmese cuisine also contains a variety of salads (a thouk) centered on one major ingredient, ranging from rice, noodles, and glass vermicelli, to potato, ginger, tomato, kaffir lime, lahpet (pickled tea), and ngapi (fish paste). These salads have become a popular fast-food in Burmese cities.
Here is a popular expression that sums up the traditional favourites:
" Of all fruit the best is the mango, of all meat it's pork, and of all leaves it's lahpet (tea}."
The best place to learn more about the food of Myanmar is at the Burma page of AsiaRecipe.com:
Learn about the Food of Myanmar

Comments

Burmese Tofu Tutorial - Chickpea/Yellow Split Pea Flour version

Chickpea/Yellow Split Pea Flour version (1/2 recipe version) 1 ½ cup rice besan (chickpea) flour/yellow split pea flour 4 ½ cup water Pinch ground turmeric ½ tsp vegetable oil ½ tsp salt Utensils 5 qt heavy bottomed pan Wire whisk (preferably one with a rubber grip handle) Container to hold rice flour and water while soaking, for ½ recipe at least 6 cups, for full recipe at least 12 cups Loaf pan (this is what I use for ½ recipes, for a full recipe you will need at least a 12x3 pan) Directions 1. Put the water and besan/yellow split pea flour into a container and stir till combined. Cover container and let sit for 12 hours. 2. After soaking, oil pan and mold for tofu. Pour mixture into pan, add turmeric and bring to a boil. Put on moderate heat and stir with a whisk or large spoon for the 15 minutes. The mixture needs to be kept in continuous motion or lumps will form. 3. Once the 15 minutes are up, pour in the sludge from the soaking container and stir over low h...

On birthdays, beaches and burmese

Burmese food. Here's a green tea leaf salad. Cabbage, tomatoes, sesame seeds, peanuts, and crispy garlic in a tangy green tea dressing. The flavor is very hard to describe- it hits you first as almost like pesto, but then a deep, woodsy flavor lingers. The flavors played nicely off of one another, and each bite delivered something crisp, something crunchy, something chewy, and something nutty all at the same time. I decided to go for a jackfruit curry. I'd never tried jackfruit before, and I thought it was good! I'm glad I didn't go for something familiar as I so often do. The jack fruit reminded me of artichokes in flavor. The curry was unusual if you're used to any other type (Indian, Thai, etc.)- it was a tomato-based broth, with a nice acidic edge. Jackfruit is made of all kinds of awesome, as you can see by this close-up photo. Here is a plate of rice and curry, topped with some intensely hot chili flakes. The thing about Burmese cuisine that stood ...

Myanmar Food

Roasted Duck ▶ Myanmar food includes aspects of the cuisine of its three neighbors, China, Thailand and India

Myanmar Kitchen

Search This Blog