Although always taking great pride in their traditional cuisine, Burmese people will suggest a place serving Chinese food when you ask them for a restaurant recommendation. This is partly because they worry that foreigners’ stomachs cannot cope with Burmese food, but also as most of them rarely eat at restaurants and any time having a chance eating out, they choose Chinese as a treat. So, it does not mean that Myanmar’s food and drink are not well worth trying.
Burmese food in Myanmar
Burmese food, like those of other Southeast Asian countries, is a perfect balance salty, spicy, bitter and sour flavors. Generally, this is done not within a single dish but across a series of dishes. For example, a mild curry might be accompanied by a salty condiment such as fish paste, dried chili and bitter leaves. Indochina tours Myanmar
Noodle soup, such as the national dish mohingar (delicious catfish soup with rice vermicelli, chili, lime, garlic, lemongrass and onions together with fried bean crackers, courgette fritters and boiled egg added by some cooks) is the typical local breakfast. Alternatives include fried or boiled beans served with naan bread or sticky rice and coconut chicken soup with noodles, chili, coriander and raw onions. Not only served in teahouses, all of these dishes are also available to take away from local markets.
Many locals enjoy a small bowl of noodles at a street food court, teahouse and café, teahouse prove that noodle also feature strongly at lunchtime. The Shan noodle dishes which are rice noodles in a meat sauce accompanied by many kinds of pickled vegetables, are the most popular choice. Salad here rarely consists of vegetables; they are cold dishes, usually with noodles, coriander, chili, chickpea flour or raw onions, served with a bone soup or watery vegetable.
Typically, local people eat curry in the evening at home. A prawn, fish or meat curry will be accompanied by rice, fried vegetables and a watery soup. Supposedly to keep bacteria out, they add a great deal of oil to Burmese curries, however, you can skim the oil off like the way locals do. If having meals at the best restaurants, you can enjoy a wide selection of even up to a dozen small side-dishes, together with fresh herbs and vegetables with a dip like a watery fish sauce. For dessert, green tea is the most traditional choice, while lahpet, the fermented tea leaves with dried shrimp, toasted sesame, fried peanuts and garlic, which is much tastier than it sounds and jaggery, unrefined cane sugar are also available.
For example, the food of Rakhine State is influenced by its proximity to Bangladesh, so curries are much spicier and many dishes include pulses or beans. There are plenty of regional variations to explore when you travel. Tours in Myanmar
Particularly since some Buddhists are restrained in their consumption of meat, vegetarians should find it reasonably easy to find suitable and awesome food throughout this beautiful country.
Drinks
While coffee is almost always instant, other than in Western-style cafés, black tea is usually drunk with plenty of sugar and milk in teahouses. Most towns will have a couple of beer stations which look like simple restaurants but with beer adverts on display although there are few places resembling Western pubs and bars outside of Mandalay and Yangon. Here, you will be served bottles (from K1700 for 640ml) as well as draught beer (around K700 for a glass), with some favorite brands like Myanmar Beer and its rival Dagon.
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