Food & Drink

A Melting Pot of Flavors

Burmese cuisine is less known than Thai or Vietnamese — and that's a crime against culinary justice. Myanmar's cuisine combines influences from India (curries, samosas, flatbread), China (noodles, wok dishes), and Thailand (freshness, herbs) with its own distinctive elements. The base consists of rice, fish paste (Ngapi), garlic, turmeric, and chili.

Must-Try Dishes

• Mohinga: THE national dish — fish soup with rice noodles, banana stem, coriander, crispy bean fritters, and a splash of lime. Eaten in the morning as breakfast, available at every street stall and teahouse. 500–1,500 MMK (0.15–0.50 EUR). If you eat only one dish in Myanmar, eat Mohinga.
• Shan Noodles (Shan Kauk Swè): Rice noodles with a spicy tomato sauce, chicken or pork, and crispy beans. The most popular alternative to Mohinga, especially in Shan State. Available as soup or dry.
• Laphet Thoke (Tea Leaf Salad): Fermented tea leaves with cabbage, tomatoes, garlic slices, roasted peanuts, sesame, dried shrimp, and lime. Sounds strange, tastes fantastic — sour, crunchy, umami, a fireworks of textures. Unique to Myanmar and found nowhere else in the world.
• Burmese Curry (Hin): Oilier than Indian curry, less spicy, slowly stewed with lots of garlic, onions, and turmeric. The special thing: You order a curry (chicken, pork, fish, lamb) and get a battery of side dishes — rice, clear soup, vegetables, chutneys, tea leaf salad, and raw vegetables. All-inclusive. A complete curry meal: 2,000–5,000 MMK (0.60–1.50 EUR).
• Samosa Thoke: Indian samosas, crumbled and dressed as a refreshing salad with onions, chili, coriander, and sweet tamarind sauce. Street food perfection.
• Ohn No Khao Swè: Coconut chicken curry soup with egg noodles — Myanmar's answer to Khao Soi. Creamy, rich, and incredibly aromatic.

The Teahouse — Myanmar's Soul

The teahouse (Laphet-yay-zain) is to Myanmar what the pub is to England and the café is to France — only more important. Teahouses are the living rooms, news exchanges, regulars' tables, and breakfast rooms of Burmese society. From 5 AM until late at night, taxi drivers, businessmen, monks, and students sit on low plastic or wooden stools, drink sweet milk tea, and discuss football, politics, and family matters.

The Laphet-yay (Burmese milk tea) is prepared in the Indian style: black tea, brewed with condensed milk and sugar, served in small glasses. You order by indicating the sweetness: cho-hsay (less sweet), paw-man (medium), cho-gyi (very sweet — the standard). A tea costs 200–500 MMK (0.06–0.15 EUR). In many teahouses, the tea is refilled for free.

With tea, you eat samosas, E Kya Kway (fried dough sticks, the Burmese churro), parathas (flatbread), and sweet snacks. Or a complete breakfast: Mohinga or Shan noodles from the street stall next door, along with teahouse tea.

The unwritten rule: A snap of the fingers or a lip sound (a short "tsk") calls the waiter — this is not rude, but the usual way to get attention.

Myanmar Beer & Other Beverages

• Myanmar Beer: The national beer — a decent lager that has won international awards. 0.65-liter bottle: 1,500–3,000 MMK (0.50–1 EUR). The ubiquitous drink with dinner.
• Mandalay Beer: The slightly more bitter alternative. Dagon Beer: The budget option.
• Toddy (Htan Yay): Palm wine, freshly tapped from the tree — sweet, slightly fizzy, mildly alcoholic. Available in rural areas and at Mount Popa.
• Sugarcane Juice: Freshly pressed at street stalls. Sweet, refreshing, and at 200 MMK (0.06 EUR) the best refreshment in the heat.
• Myanmar Whisky: Grand Royal and Mandalay Rum are the local spirits — cheap and for hardy palates.