Many countries in Southeast Asia in gastronomic predilections can be traced the influence of the major neighbors of India and China. The kitchen of Myanmar was able to absorb all the most unusual, sharp and bright. In the menu of each establishment you will find a lot of spicy dishes and an abundance of seasonings, rice and soy - and, as always, everything is strongly fried.
At the beginning of the meal, all the cooked dishes are immediately put on the table, there are no solemn changes of plates here. People in Myanmar are more likely to eat with their hands than use cutlery. In national institutions it is not forbidden to do the same to tourists, Burmese people encourage interest in their culture and cuisine traditions and preferences.
The basis of the kitchen
The basis of Myanmar's cuisine, of course, is rice and soy. The lack of animal proteins in the country is more than compensated by grain and leguminous crops. In addition, fresh fish and seafood are prepared here, which are caught in abundance by local fishermen. All this is usually served with lots of spices, vegetables and local fruits. Local noodles are also present in the diet, but are prepared easier and faster than those of neighbors.
Do not panic, but Myanmar residents eat different dishes every day from insects: fried grasshoppers, spiders, crickets, bugs, larvae and other appetizing creatures. All this is seized with flat cakes of rice flour. By the way, rice is customarily put in almost every dish and even in desserts and soups. They say that the Burmese know 357 ways of cooking rice. Among the most popular dishes, it is worth noting "sleep lettuce" (vegetable salad with rice and spicy seasonings), "hin" (boiled rice with spices, chicken meat, pepper and garlic), salad of colored rice with turmeric and much more.
Myanmar's cuisine is rich and soup recipes, but it can not be said that this is the main or most basic dish. Let's just say: everything goes to food that can be grown, caught and cooked.
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Sauces
The people of Myanmar are very fond of sauces and, it seems, are ready to make them from anything. Probably, this love just came from India. They are cooked with all the help products: pepper, dates, turmeric, garlic, ginger, onion, fried peas, coconut milk and bamboo shoots, any local herbs and roots, peanut butter and even shrimp paste. One of the most famous sauces - "ngapi" - is prepared from salt, butter and fermented fish or shrimp, it is often used instead of salt.
Meat: what does it look like?
In the national feast, meat dishes and pure meat in particular - a rarity. This is primarily due to the poverty of the population. People buy meat mainly on holidays, as a rule, it's only a bird and mutton, because Buddhism forbids eating beef, and Islam - pork.
On the other hand, all parts of the carcass go from food to meat to fat, tails and ears. In large restaurants you, of course, will find the usual stomach and eye European meat dishes, but exotics will sound more melodic: "fried sparrows", "pork ears", "smoked tails of oxen", "snake balyk on coals", etc. Usually, meat is served with a selection of vegetables and fruits.
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Desserts and drinks
The main desserts are fruits and palm sugar, the usual buns with chocolate or cakes are not in vogue. Cakes, pancakes stuffed - that's probably the whole range of baked goods for tea. We must give credit, the local climate does not have to eat sugar.
From drinks, this Burmese tea is the basis of every feast. It is often diluted with milk and heavily sweetened with sugar. Be attentive, the majority of inhabitants of the country put in it all the same sharp spices and can hospitably and you pour your favorite drink. Also popular are green tea from China and sugar cane juice with lemon and ice. In addition, from the fruit with you very quickly cook any fresh juices.
From alcoholic drinks, tourists like local beer, "Singha", "San Miguel", "Mandalay", "Dagon" and some others are considered the best. Fans of exoticism should definitely try "htaye" (punch from palm juice) or "hta-ayet" (palm liqueur). Imported drinks of any level and quality are quite expensive, but are present in every store and institution. But coffee is practically not drunk, therefore, it will not be possible to get a good fragrance.
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To gourmets on a note
Traveling around Myanmar , it seems that you have never met such an unusual combination of products. Take on a pencil some popular dishes from courageous tourists:
- Moinga - fresh or dried fish, coconut milk, herbs, rice vermicelli, ginger, garlic, onion, turmeric, pepper, eggs and banana stem. The dish is mixed only before serving so that you can enjoy the deep taste of fish broth.
- Noodles Shan Hao Sweet - thick soup of thin rice noodles in broth with onions, garlic, tomato, small peanuts, chili pepper with chicken or pork, or without meat, if you ask in advance. Served with pickled greens and tofu.
- Hot ginger salad - Peking crushed cabbage, fried beans and lentils, pickled sliced ginger, onion, crispy cabbage, hot pepper, peanut butter and fish sauce.
- Hmith Chin Hin - a soup in a hurry of young shoots of bamboo with shrimps. Seafood is sometimes replaced by chicken. As always, everything is flavored with garlic, turmeric, onions.
Perhaps you will not find in the kitchen of Myanmar dishes that you will like. But even so, tourists with an easy heart carry home all kinds of seasonings, to have a home at home to try a culinary revolution. Bon Appetit!
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