Food and Drink

Regional food in Myanmar (Burma) tends to be spicy. Fish, noodles, rice, vegetables, onions, ginger, garlic and chillies are the most common ingredients. The staple of Burmese cuisine is rice, although noodles and breads are also eaten.

The country's cuisine has been influenced by the cuisines of China, India and Thailand. However, in spite of this, Burmese cuisine has unique preparation techniques and distinct flavours unlike any other. Different regions of Myanmar have different variations of 'standard' dishes. Use of seafood is more prevalent along coastal cities such as Sittwe, Kyaukpyu, Mawlamyaing (Moulmein), Mergui and Dawei, while meat and poultry are more commonly used in landlocked cities such as 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, when 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) centred 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.

Typical dishes include:

Ba zun thouk (pickled prawn salad)
Gyin thouk (ginger salad with sesame seeds)
Hkauk swè thouk (wheat noodle salad with dried shrimps, shredded cabbage and carrots, dressed with fried peanut oil, fish sauce and lime)
Htamin thouk (rice salad with tomato puree, potato,glass noodle, toasted chickpea flour, crushed toasted dried fermented beancake,crushed dried shrimp, crushed dried chilli, garlic and dressed with cooked peanut oil, fish sauce, lime or tamarind and coriander)
Htoe mont (glutinous rice cake with raisins, cashews and coconut shavings)
Kat kyi hnyat - lit. 'cut with scissors' (a southern coastal dish (from the Dawei area) of rice noodles with a variety of seafood, land meats, raw bean sprouts, beans and fried eggs comparable to pad thai)
Kya yoe hinga (lotus roots in clear chicken or fish broth)
Kya zan hin (glass noodle soup with chicken, wood-ear mushrooms, dried flowers, onions, boiled egg, garnished with coriander, thin-sliced onions, crushed dried chilli and a dash of lime)
Kya zan hinga (glass noodle soup with dried shrimp, wood-ear mushrooms, egg, dried flowers, onions)
Kyauk kyaw (agar jelly usually set in two layers with coconut milk)
Kyay-oh (vermicelli noodles in soup with pork offal and greens)
Let thouk sone (salad with shredded green papaya, shredded carrot, ogonori sea moss and often wheat noodles)
Mohinga (the unofficial national dish of rice vermicelli in fish broth with onions, garlic, ginger, lemon grass and sliced tender core of banana-stem, served with boiled eggs, fried fish cake (nga hpe) and fritters (akyaw))
Mont let saung (tapioca balls, glutinous rice, grated coconut and toasted sesame with jaggery syrup in coconut milk)
Nan gyi thouk or Mont di (thick rice noodle salad with chickpea flour, chicken, fish cake (nga hpe), onions, coriander, spring onions, crushed dried chilli, dressed with fried crispy onion oil, fish sauce and lime)
Ngapi gyaw (fried version with dried shrimp, onions, garlic and dried chilli)
Ngapi gyet, fermented spicy fish paste or salted fish curried with onions, tomatoes, garlic, chilli and coriander served with to za ya, vegetables fresh or boiled, on the side)
Ohn no hkauk swè (curried chicken and wheat noodles in a coconut milk broth)
Sanwin makin (semolina cake with raisins, walnuts and poppy seeds)
Shauk thee thouk (sliced lemon or kaffir lime, toasted chickpea flour, crushed roasted peanut, crushed dried shrimp, crushed dried chilli, baked fish paste, cooked oil with onions)
Shwe gyi mont (hardened semolina (wheat) porridge with poppy seeds)
Shwe yin aye (agar jelly, tapioca and sago in coconut milk)

Tea is popular (often with added spices that may make your tongue turn bright red). Coffee is uncommon and local soft drinks are poor. Local beers, rums, and whiskies are available.