Myanmar Food

Hot and Spicy

The menu in a standard restaurant in Myanmar is dominatd by Indian curries and Chinese noodle and rice dishes. That isn’t really surprising, given that Myanmar is located on the ancient India-China trade routes, and immigrants from both countries have influenced Myanmar with their famed cuisines.

There are traditional Myanmar dishes, although they are a bit harder to find. In Yangon, Green Elephant, Thei Dit Shin and Sandy cater Myanmar dishes to the consumers.

Myanmar’s geographic and cultural seclusion has contributed to a culinary tradition all its own. Because the people are not stock breeders, beef is not a major element in the diet, and milk is used only sparingly. However, the rivers and long coastlines have made fish the most important source of protein.

Large quantities of rice are the core of any Myanmar meal, usually prepared with a curry. Most of the Myanmar curries are seasoned with ngapi or nganpyayay, fermented fish or shrimp paste.

Another typical dish is Mohinga, a soup with fish and rice noodles, eaten mainly at breakfast and lunch. More common at dinner, perhaps, in hingyo, a clear soup served with green vegetable leaves.

Fish or prawns, and frequently chicken, constitute the main course, along with the rice. Especially popular is kaukswe, a chicken and noodle dish prepared with coconut milk. In the Irrawaddy Delta, it is normally fixed with onions, ginger, garlic and chillies. Tastes vary regionally, however, and on the Shan Plateau it is likely to be prepared in a very different fashion.

Myanmar is also a country of seafood. Crabs, prawns, lobsters and other shellfish are among the popular dishes available at most Myanmar and Chinese restaurants in Yangon and in other parts of the country.

Typical Myanmar Restaurant serves both meat and vegetable dishes. Most restaurants in Myanmar serve Chinese and Indian food. Other Asian foods include Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean and Singapore-style. European food is served mostly at the hotels and there are a couple of restaurants in Yangon serving Italian and French cuisine.

There are several fast food centers and snack bars in Yangon and Mandalay.

Myanmar Desserts

There are a variety of desserts like San Nwin Makin (Myanmar sweet cake) and Kyaukkyaw (Sea weed jelly), jaggery and laphet (the pickled tea leaves).

Seasonal Fruits

A variety of delicious fruits are available in Myanmar, as any visitor to a market will quickly attest. Bananas, oranges, limes, mangoes, papayas and pomeloes (Chinese grapefruit) are easily found; such as the highly-prized mangosteen and the durian, are shipped to the capital from Moulmein and Thaninthayi (Tenasserim).