Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
watery, fishy dip) to
balachaung
(a dry, pungent combination of chillies, garlic and dried
shrimp fried in oil). Additional vegetable-based salads or stir-frys, unlimited green tea
and a dessert of pickled tea leaves and chunks of jaggery (palm sugar) are also usually
included.
One of the seminal works on Myanmar cuisine is
Cook and Entertain the Burmese Way,
by Mi Mi Khaing, available in Yangon bookshops.
Burmese Specialities
One of the culinary highlights of Burmese food is undoubtedly
ăthouq
- light, tart and
spicy salads made with vegetables, herbs, fruit or meat tossed with lime juice, onions,
peanuts, roasted chickpea powder or chillies. Among the most exquisite are
maji·yweq
thouq,
made with tender young tamarind leaves, and
shauq·thi dhouq,
made with a type
of lemon-like citrus fruit. In fact, the Burmese will make just about anything into a salad,
as
t'ămìn dhouq,
a savoury salad made with rice, and
nan·gyi dhouq,
a salad made with
thick rice noodles, prove.
A popular finish to Burmese meals, and possibly the most infamous Burmese dish of
all, is
leq·p'eq
(often spelled
laphet
), fermented green tea leaves mixed with a combina-
tion of sesame seeds, fried peas, fried garlic, peanuts and other crunchy ingredients. A
popular variant of the dish is
leq·p'eq thouq,
in which the fermented tea and nuts are
combined with slices of tomato and cabbage and a squeeze of lime. The salad is a popu-
lar snack in Myanmar, and the caffeine boost supplied by the tea leaves makes the dish a
favourite of students who need to stay up late studying.
DOS & DON'TS
»
A fork is held in the left hand and used as a probe to push food onto the spoon;
you eat from the spoon.
»
Locals tend to focus on the flavours, not table talk, during meals.
»
If you're asked to join someone at a restaurant, they will expect to pay for the
meal. Expect to do likewise if you invite a local out for a meal.
