Burmese cuisine


Burmese cuisine is mainly an amalgam of cuisines from various regions of Myanmar. It has also been influenced by various cuisines of neighbouring countries, in particular, China, India and Thailand.
Modern Burmese cuisine comes in two general varieties: coastal and inland. The cuisine in the coastal areas, such as that in the main city Yangon, makes extensive use of fish and seafood-based products like fish sauce and ngapi. The cuisine in inland regions, such as Upper Myanmar and hill regions, tends to use more meat and poultry although modern inland cooking too has incorporated freshwater fish and shrimp as a source of protein in several ways: fresh, salted whole or filleted, salted and dried, made into a salty paste, or fermented sour and pressed.
Burmese cuisine also includes a variety of salads, centred on one major ingredient, ranging from starches like rice, wheat and rice noodles, glass noodles and vermicelli, to potato, ginger, tomato, kaffir lime, long bean, lahpet, and ngapi. These salads have always been popular as fast foods in Burmese cities. Mohinga is the traditional breakfast dish and is Burma's national dish.
A popular Burmese rhyme sums up the traditional favourites: "A thee ma, thayet; a thar ma, wet; a ywet ma, lahpet", meaning: "Of all the fruit, the mango's the best; of all the meat, the pork's the best; and of all the leaves, lahpet's the best".

Eating customs

Traditionally, Burmese eat their meals from dishes on a low table, while sitting on a bamboo mat. Dishes are served simultaneously. A typical meal includes steamed rice as the main dish and accompanying dishes called hin, including a curried freshwater fish or dried/salted fish dish, a curried meat or poultry dish instead, a light soup called hin gyo, called chinyay hin if sour, and fresh or boiled vegetables to go with a salty dish, almost invariably a curried sauce of pickled fish in Lower Burma. Fritters such as gourd or onions in batter as well as fish or dried tofu crackers are extra.
Out of respect, the eldest diners are always served first before the rest join in; even when the elders are absent, the first morsel of rice from the pot is scooped and put aside as an act of respect to one's parents, a custom known as u cha.
The Burmese eat with their right hand, forming the rice into a small ball with only the fingertips and mixing this with various morsels before popping it into their mouths. Chopsticks and Chinese-style spoons are used for noodle dishes, although noodle salads are more likely to be eaten with just a spoon. Knives and forks are used rarely in homes but will always be provided for guests and are available in restaurants and hotels. Drinks are not often served with the meal and, instead, the usual liquid accompaniment is in the form of a light broth or consommé served from a communal bowl. Outside of the meal, the Burmese beverage of choice is light green tea, yay nway gyan.

Food theories

In traditional Burmese medicine, foods are divided into two classes: heating or cooling, based on their effects on one's body system, similar to the Chinese classification of food.
Examples of heating and cooling foods include:
The Burmese also hold several taboos and superstitions regarding consumption during various occasions in one's life, especially pregnancy. For instance, pregnant women are not supposed to eat chili, due to the belief that it causes children to have sparse scalp hairs.

Influences

The country's diverse religious makeup influences its cuisine, as Buddhists avoid beef and Muslims pork. Beef is considered taboo by devout Buddhists because the cow is highly regarded as a beast of burden. Vegetarian dishes are only common during the Buddhist Lent, a three-month Rains Retreat, as well as Uposatha days. During this time, only two meals are consumed before midday to observe the fasting rules and abstinence from meat is observed by devout Buddhists. Throughout the rest of the year, many foods can be prepared vegetarian on request, but the bulk of Burmese food is prepared with fish or meat broth bases. Also, many of the several ethnic groups prepare at least one inherently vegetarian dish.
The countries that border Myanmar, especially India, China and Thailand, have influenced Burmese cuisine. Indian influences are found in Burmese versions of dishes such as samosas and biryani, and Indian curries, spices and breads such as naan and paratha. Southern Indian, especially Chettiar cuisine is also popular in cities. Chinese influences in Burmese cuisine are shown in the use of ingredients like bean curd and soya sauce, various noodles as well as in stir frying techniques. As in neighbouring Thailand and Laos, fried insects are eaten as snacks.
Southern Myanmar, particularly the area around Mawlamyine is known for its cuisine, as the Burmese proverb goes: "Mandalay for eloquence, Mawlamyine for food, Yangon for boasting".

Preparation

Burmese dishes are not cooked with precise recipes. The use and portion of ingredients used may vary, but the precision of timing is of utmost importance. One of the few remaining pre-colonial cookbooks is the Sadawset Kyan, written on palm leaves in 1866 during the Konbaung dynasty.
Depending on the dish at hand, it may be roasted, stewed, boiled, fried, steamed, baked or grilled, or any combination of the said techniques. Burmese curries use only a handful of spices and use more garlic and ginger. Dishes are prepared with plenty of oil in the case of curries and soups, and the level of spices and herbs varies depending on the region; Kachin and Shan curries will often use more fresh herbs.

Ingredients

Ingredients used in Burmese dishes are often fresh. Many fruits are used in conjunction with vegetables in many dishes. The Burmese eat a great variety of vegetables and fruits, and all kinds of meat. A very popular vegetable is jengkol, which is usually boiled or roasted and dipped in salt, oil and sometimes, cooked coconut fat.

Starches

The most common starch in Myanmar is white rice or htamin, which is served with accompanying meat dishes called hin. Consumers in the northern highlands prefer stickier lower-amylose varieties like kauk hnyin' and kauk sei, while consumers in lower delta regions preferring higher-amylose varieties like kauk chaw and kauk kyan. Lower-amylose rice varieties are commonly used in Burmese snacks.
Paw hsan hmwe, a fragrant aromatic rice, is the most popular rice used in Burma and is rated as high as Thai jasmine rice or basmati rice. Today, Myanmar is the world's sixth largest producer of rice, though in recent times less is exported and even domestic supplies cannot be guaranteed. A purple variety of kauk hnyin, known as nga cheik, is commonly a breakfast dish.
Various types of noodles, ranging from egg and wheat noodles to rice vermicelli, are also used in salads and soups. Typically, vermicelli noodles and rice noodles are often used in soups, while thick rice and wheat noodles are used in salads. Palata, a flaky fried flatbread related to Indian paratha, is often eaten with curried meats while nan bya, a baked flatbread is eaten with any Indian dishes. Another favourite is aloo poori, puffed-up fried breads eaten with potato curry.

Ngapi

, a paste made from salted, fermented fish or shrimp, is considered the cornerstone of any Burmese traditional meal. It is used as a main ingredient in soup base, salads, main dishes, condiments, and plainly with cooked rice as well. Different usage for various dish depends on the region.
The ngapi of Rakhine State contains no or little salt, and uses marine fish. It is used as a soup base for the Rakhine regional cuisine, mont di. It is also used widely in cooking vegetables, fish and meat.
In the coastal Ayeyarwady and Tanintharyi divisions, the majority of ngapi is based on fresh and salty fish. Ngapi is also used as a condiment such as ngapi yay, an essential part of Karen cuisine, which includes runny ngapi, spices and boiled fresh vegetables. The upper part of Myanmar which is the Shan State does not eat ngapi at all, instead they use fermented beans or fermented bean curd for their dishes and cuisines. Although some natives families from the lower part of Myanmar who settled in the upper parts still eat ngapi as their tradition.

Condiments

Burmese cuisine is full of condiments, from sweet, sour to savoury. The most popular are pickled mango, balachaung and ngapi gyaw and preserved vegetables in rice wine. Ngapi plays a major part in condiments, as a dip for fresh vegetables.
Fermented beans, called pè ngapi, from the Shan State plays a major role in Shan cuisine. Dried bean ngapi chips are used as condiments for various Shan dishes.
Another bean-based condiment popular amongst the Bamar and the central dry region is pon ye gyi - a thick salty black paste made from fermented soy beans. It is used in cooking, especially pork, and as a salad, with ground nut oil, chopped onions and red chili. Bagan is an important producer of pon ye gyi.

Fruits

Myanmar has a wide range of fruits, and most are of tropical origin. However, some notable Western fruits such as strawberries are also popular. Durian, guava, and other fruits are commonly served as desserts. Other fruits include mango, banana, jackfruit, plum, lychee, papaya, pomelo, water melon, pomegranate, mangosteen, sugar-apple and rambutan.

Notable dishes

Because a standardised system of romanisation for spoken Burmese does not exist, pronunciations of the following dishes in modern standard Burmese approximated using IPA are provided.
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