An Introduction to Food in Myanmar

Food in Myanmar.  When someone says "Myanmar Food" to you, what do you think?  So far, food in Myanmar doesn't have the same reputation as neighboring China, Thailand, or India.  This is definitely not due to a lack of variety or taste, but more due to the fact that it is unknown.  For instance, in most cities in the US, you can find at least one Chinese, Thai, and Indian restaurant and because of that, the food is well-known.  If you go looking for a Myanmar or Burmese restaurant, you'd be lucky to run into one.

So, what I often see happen to tourists who come to Myanmar is that they have no point of reference; they don't even know where to start.  And, unfortunately, they try a couple of places, order a couple of random dishes, decide that they don't like it and brand food in Myanmar as not that good.

The real truth, though, is that food in Myanmar is as varied and tasty as any other cuisine in the world.  Let me put it this way: officially there are 180+ ethnicities in Myanmar and most of them have their own dishes, if not an entirely different cuisine.  Most of what I ate is confined to the city areas, but take a trip out into far-flung areas, and you're likely to find completely different foods with completely different tastes

Accompaniments (Burmese: Thoh Sayah)

A traditional Burmese meal should come with certain side dishes, called "Thoh Sayah".  The practice seems to be dying out a bit, at least in sit-down restaurants, and for reasons that I can't explain, exists more frequently in the side-of-the-road shops underneath rain tarps.  Go figure.  Here are some things that you might expect.




Snacks (Burmese: mon) and Drinks (Burmese: athouq)





Yogurt in Myanmar is pure and very good quality.  You can get it with a variety of mixers, including strawberry, papaya, or just plain ol' sugar.  I would definitely try some if you are in the country.


This is usually only sold on the street from itinerant vendors who carry a mobile snack unit around on a bamboo pole.  Be forewarned that it has sweetened condensed milk and a lot of sugar in it!


I seriously like sugar and a domino (or it's cousing, the faluda) is chock full of it.  They are probably more Indian than Myanmar, but they seem to have been adopted in Myanmar at most cold drink shops (Burmese: A-Eh Sein)


Salads (athoq)

Ok, before we start drooling over some of the salads, I first want you to take whatever notion of a "salad" that you have in your head and throw it out the window.  These aren't salads in the Western since.  A salad in Myanmar typically has one main ingredient and its flavorings.  With that in mind, you can make a salad out of just about anything.  For instance, a chicken salad is just a small pile of shredded, cooked, flavored chicken.

Even though I list a lot of salads here, the possibilities are endless.  There are even restaurants that serve nothing but salads and at those places, the list is quite long.


If you get just one salad, this should be it.  This is the staple salad of any meal and as such, there are many different ways to make it and different kinds of laphet (fermented tea leaves) to use.  My suggestion is to try it at many places and see which one you like the best!


Fun fact: "Min kwa yuet" actually means "Horse hoof leaf" because the shape of the leaf looks like a horse's hoof.  Homework: find out the Burmese word for rambutan and literally translate that.  Extra points for anyone who puts the answer in the comments :)








Another random salad that we found at a temple in Sagaing, this is actually the flowers of a tree that exist in the arid regions of Myanmar's central plains. 


This is a Shan salad that is usually made by street vendors in the cities.


Another Shan dish that, again, is sold mainly by street vendors.


I know that a "rice salad" sounds weird but it's basically steamed rice, mixed with a bunch of other ingredients by hand.  As with most salads, it has garlic, peanuts, and dried shrimps.

Main Dishes

While many of the aforementioned snacks and salads can be eaten as a meal on its own, these are popular centerpieces to a meal.


The mother of all Myanmar dishes Mohinga is something that everyone should try if they are in Myanmar.  It's basically a fish-based broth with rice noodes.  After that, the variations are endless.  A Mandalay mohinga might include more pork or chicken, while a Rakhine mohinga will have more fish and spice.  Most places will ask you what you want on your mohinga and again, the list gets quite long; I usually choose fried gourd (burmese: "buthi jaw") but if you want something different (fried banana stem, for instance) get one of your Myanmar friends to translate for you.


Probably the most famous dish from the Rakhine region, Mont Di is one of those staple noodle dishes that's can be found in tea shops, street stalls, or Rakhine-specific restaurants.  If you want to impress anyone from Rakhine state, tell them how much you like to eat Mont Di.


I put both spellings because you are likely to see it on a menu as Kyae Oh, which is pronounced like "Chae Oh".  In any case, you can get the noodles dry with the broth on the side or with the broth included.  There are endless variations of Kyae Oh and if you really want to get into the dish, try one of the restaurants that specializes in making it: YKKO is the most famous, but there are many others, if you can read the signs in Burmese.


This will be the dish that I will miss most about Myanmar and it's also the one that I have the hardest time describing.  There's nothing like it in the world.  It's basically rice noodles covered with a thick bean paste and topped with green onions and chili oil.  The description and the picture don't do it justice.  Trust me: try this one and you will like it.  I don't know anyone that's come away from eating it and not wanted some more.


You're probably not going to find this in the cities, but it will be hard to miss if you go to the beach.  When we went to Chaungtha Beach, there were women walking the beach with pots full of live crabs.  Point and one and they will cook it up.


Ya, I had to include this for the gross-out factor, but to be honest, it tasted pretty good.  Actually, it kind of tasted like tofu (think about that, vegetarians!).  You're not going to find this at many places and most likely it will be at a halaal restaurant in one of the cities.  Before you say "ewww..", though, don't knock it until you try it.





This should probably be named "everything but the kitchen sink on rice".  There are typically two styles: one which looks like this and another that has more meat (usually pork) and a heavy gravy-like sauce on it.  You're more likely to get this version as it is served in restaurants and tea shops; the other version is sold on the street during lunch time.



Winning the award for "Food that Looks Aweful but Tastes Amazing", Pone Yeh Gee is a dish that is best eaten in the Bagan region.  This is another dish that I can't pass up when I see it.



This is not something that you'll ever find in a restaurant and is more a meal of sustenance than taste, as it is packed with energy and calories.  The one in the picture was given to us at a Mon heritage festival.


Another favorite tea shop food of mine.


Unlike Thailand, Myanmar doesn't cook a whole lot with coconut milk.  Oh No Khao Swe is one of the rare exceptions.


Ok, I'm not really sure if this dish is Japanese, or Myanmar, or even Chinese.  All I can say is that I've only seen it in Myanmar and is a great dish to have some beer with.




I've only found this at one restaurant and they're probably more Chinese than Shan, but, whatever.  They're still delicioius.


I don't know how Kachin this really is, but Kachin-named dishes can be found at a lot of "beer stations".  If you don't like fish, there's usually a Kachin chicken (Jet Kachin Chet) around as well.



I know.  Corn.  Boooriing.  But seriously, the corn in Myanmar is fantastic and this is coming from someone who grew up in Kansas, home of corn-eaters.  If you want to eat it Myanmar style, pick it off kernel by kernel and pop it into your mouth much like popcorn. 

Also, despite eating it probably 1000 times, I don't have a picture of ladyfingers / okra.  In the States, I usually pass on eating okra because it doesn't really taste that good.  But THE OKRA IN MYANMAR IS THE BEST.  I think I'm spoiled as far as my okra tastes go.  Maybe with the economy opening up, someone will start exporting okra from Myanmar to the US?

Finally