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BACKGROUND HOSTORY OF
MYANMAR FOOD
Because Myanmar has diverse geographical
features, favourable seasonal conditions and is
naturally endowed with fertile soil and water resources,
it boasts an abundant supply of food in a great
variety all year around.
Myanmar people enjoy rice as their
main food and it comprises about 75% of the diet.
Rice is served with meat or fish, soup, salad and
vegetables all cooked in their own ways, and some
relishes to complement the meal.
During meals, all the dishes are
laid out on the dining table and served together
so that diners can make their own choices and combinations.
Although the dishes are prepared in a variety of
ways, the most common method is to cook meat or
fish in oil, seasoned with pounded onion, garlic,
ginger, turmeric, chili and spices, and simmer
until all or most of the water evaporates. The
essential and most popular condiment is a kind
of relish made from preserved fish or prawn, served
with chili powder.
Most traditional snacks, which
are rich in variety and taste, are generally made
with rice or glutinous rice.
MOHINGA, or rice
noodle served with fish soup, is the favourite
Myanmar dish mostly enjoyed at breakfast or on
special occasions.
LAPPHET or pickled TEA
LEAVES with a dash of oil and served
with sesame seeds, fried garlic and roasted peanuts,
is another Popular Snack Typical of Myanmar.
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TABLE MANNERS |
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The most commonly used tables in Myanmar are round
and low and the diners have to sit on the floor or
perhaps mat during meals.
Even when the table is of the international shape
and height mostly used among urban families and
in restaurants, it should be small enough for the
diners to reach all the dishes on the table. |
All dishes including rice are
served simultaneously rather than course by course.
There are no appetizers or hors d'oeuvre, and no
wine or spirits served at the meal. All you can
expect is drinking water, a juice or a cup of green
tea.
When everything is served, people
can start eating, taking small portions of dishes
they like. Normally, Myanmar people eat with their
fingers, but dishes are provided with serving spoons
to be handles with the clean left hand. Soup is
usually served in a single bowl for all the diners
and is shared.
Forks and spoons, but not knives,
are permitted and have become popular. The elderly
and the guests are given priority by letting them
take the curry first. Hosts can initiate meals
by serving a spoonful of curry on guest’s
plates after confirming if they would like the
dish.
Diners intending on having another
helping of rice, should leave some unfinished rice
as a signal more is wanted. Rice and curry are
to be eaten together rather than separately and
soup can be taken at intervals. At the conclusion
of the meal, deserts such as laphet, fruit or jaggery
may be served along with water, green tea or juice.
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SOUPS AND SALADS |
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Most Myanmar people regard soup
as an indispensable component of a meal, possibly
because Myanmar people do not normally drink wine,
or even a glass of water at meals, to allow the smooth
swallowing of solid food.
Good spicy soups not only facilitate
the dining process but also stimulate the appetite
of diners. Sometimes, when soup is not available
at the meal and the dishes are too dry, a hot cup
of green tea is served instead.
There are many different styles
of soup. There are sweet broths that are clear
and bland and contain meat or fish and certain
vegetables. There are bitter soups that are also
clear but peppery and spicy, usually to go with
salads as a fast food combination. Some soups are
rather sour and made so with the aid of tamarind
pulp or tomato. |
They mostly contain vegetables to lessen the
richness of a meal. Finally, there are bean soups
of various kinds that are thick and tasty and usually
splashed over rice as a dampener.
Salads in Myanmar traditional food are different
to western counterparts. Myanmar salads are a combination
of raw, boiled or preserved vegetables, cooked
meat or fish, slices of onion, tamarind juice,
chili powder, fish sauce, fried shredded garlic
in cooked oil, and pounded dried prawn, all mixed
thoroughly by hand.
Because of the variety of ingredients, the taste
is wonderful and salads can either make an appetizing
dish at meals or can be served singly as fast food
complemented by a bowl of hot, spicy soup.
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SNACKS |
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Most Myanmar snacks
are made of rice or glutinous rice, milk or grated
shreds of coconut, and sugar or jaggery as sweeteners.
Myanmar people are very fond of snacks either breakfast
items, as fast food or as at tea-times.
Although there are a number of
traditional snacks, the most popular is Mohinga or
rice noodle served with fish gravy. |
The other famous item is Ohnnoh Khauk
Swe or noodle served with rich coconut
soup flavoured with chicken. Kyarsan
Chet or vermicelli in spicy chicken
soup is another favourite snack.
Also popular are Khauk Swe Thoke or Noodle
Salad, Ah Kyaw or assorted
fries, Bein Mont or rice pancake, Mont
Sein Paung or steamed rice cake, Mont
Lone Gyi or rice dumpling with coconut
filling, Kauk Nyin Paung or
steamed glutinous rice, and Shwe Yin
Aye or coconut cream sherbet.
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MAIN DISHES |
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Main dishes in a
typical Myanmar meal can be classified as meat or
fish, vegetables or salads, and some kind of soup.
In the meat or fish category, dishes such as chicken,
duck, pork, mutton, fish and prawns, and eggs cooked
in water, oil and other spices. But beef is usually
not served.
Vegetables are cut and cooked
in various ways, usually with a small amount of
oil and dried prawn to enhance the taste. Salads
are mostly made of raw, cooked or preserved vegetables,
or sometimes meat, fish or prawn, added with a
number of ingredients to enrich the flavour.
There are four main types of soups:
sweet broth, hot and spicy, sour, and bean soup. |
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DESSERT |
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Myanmar people do not always have
dessert during normal meals at home, but it is customary
when entertaining a guest or giving a charity feast.
Apart from fruits of various kinds,
the most common desert is laphet or pickled tea
leaves salad served with roasted sesame seeds and
peanuts, fried beans and garlic, and a small amount
of dried prawn. Shwe Kyi or rich
semolina, is another popular dessert served at
feasts and on special occasions. Kyauk
Kyaw or seaweed jelly, mostly with a coconut
milk layer on top, is also a common desert.
Thagu or Thagu
Byin, which may have acquired its name
from the Malay origin, is sago or tapioca pudding
sweetened with jaggery and enriched with coconut.
Finally, the humblest of Myanmar
traditional desserts is jaggery, a complimentary
dessert provided in Myanmar meal shops and the
only dessert popular with rural families especially
in Upper Myanmar. |
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A TRADITIONAL SERVING |
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In a traditional
serving, there are no appetizers or wines. A typical
Myanmar meal includes a plate filled with rice, dishes
filled with different curries, soup in a main bowl,
and green or boiled vegetables with fish sauce.
A bowl of extra rice for second
helpings is also provided at the table. Dishes
are served simultaneously rather than course by
course as in western dinners.
A folded napkin is for wiping
the lips and fingers after the meal but not for
protecting clothing. A fork and spoon may be provided
or available on request. Diners serve curry and
rice onto their plates. They can ask for a second
helping or they can self serve if there no attendants.
After the meal is finished, dessert
including fresh fruits and snacks is served. |
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