country Essentials · 11 foods
Myanmar Essentials
A considered first route through Myanmar: the foods that carry its everyday habits, celebrations, ingredients, and memory.
Explore all Myanmar foods →THE
ESSENTIALS
The complete shortlist
11 foods to know.
Each selection includes the reason it belongs here—so this is a guide, not just a pile of names.
Myanmar
Mohinga
မုန့်ဟင်းခါး
Catfish and chickpea-flour broth over rice vermicelli — Myanmar's breakfast and closest thing to a national dish.
Myanmar
Pickled Tea Leaf Salad
လက်ဖက်သုပ်
Fermented tea leaves tossed with fried beans, garlic and shrimp; food and stimulant in one plate.
Shan, Myanmar
Shan Noodles
ရှမ်းခေါက်ဆွဲ
Rice noodles with marinated pork, garlic oil and pickled mustard greens from the Shan hills.
Myanmar
Coconut Chicken Noodles
အုန်းနို့ခေါက်ဆွဲ
Wheat noodles in coconut chicken broth, rebuilt at the table with onion, chilli and lime.
Mandalay, Myanmar
Thick Rice Noodle Salad
နန်းကြီးသုပ်
Fat rice noodles hand-tossed with chicken curry and chickpea flour until every strand is coated.
Myanmar
Burmese Biryani
ဒံပေါက်
Chicken or mutton steamed under spiced rice, served with sour soup and pickled mango on the side.
Myanmar
Ngapi Yay
ငါးပိရည်
Boiled fish paste with a plate of raw vegetables for dipping — the sharp counterweight to every oily curry.
Myanmar
Pork Curry
ဝက်သားစီပြန်
Pork belly braised until the peanut oil separates and floats clear, the sign a Burmese curry is done.
Myanmar
Shwe Yin Aye
ရွှေရင်အေး
Coconut milk over shaved ice with agar, sago and a slice of white bread floating on top.
Myanmar
Burmese Milk Tea
လက်ဖက်ရည်ချို
Strong tea cut with condensed and evaporated milk, ordered by sweetness at every teashop.
Myanmar
Palm Toddy
ထန်းရည်
Toddy-palm sap drunk sweet at dawn and cloudy-sour by afternoon, from clay pots in the dry zone.