Page 38 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

36 BASICS Food and drink
VEGETARIAN FOOD IN MYANMAR
despite the fact that many people in Myanmar are Buddhists, most are enthusiastic omnivores
rather than strict vegetarians (see box, p.35). There are plenty of vegetarian options out there
for travellers, but at times – typically when faced with a meat-only curry spread – it might not
feel like it.
one of the first things to learn is “theq-thaq-luq”, a Burmese phrase meaning “without living
things” that is widely used to describe vegetarian food. in many instances, it’s possible to point
at a dish and ask for it served theq-thaq-luq. although this approach doesn’t guarantee that
the chef will hold back on the fish sauce or bone stock, it will produce the same dish served
without obvious meat or fish.
For true vegetarian food, you may need to be slightly conservative in regard to what and
where you eat. Curries (even the egg ones) are often prepared with either ngapi fish paste
or meat-based stock, and are best avoided if that concerns you. in Burmese curry
restaurants you can fill up instead on lightly flavoured side dishes and salads, as these are
often served theq-thaq-luq to begin with. Vegetable and tofu dishes in Chinese restaurants
are generally vegetarian-friendly, and indian and Western restaurants often serve a range of
vegetarian dishes.
Vegan travellers will face similar challenges, although – thanks to the lack of dairy products
used in Burmese cooking – the vast majority of Burmese dishes are dairy-free to begin with.

Burmese curries, supposedly to keep bacteria out, further. People generally eat with their right hands,
but like locals you can skim the oil off. at the best although the taboo against eating with the left
restaurants, the meal will also include a selection hand is not as strong here as it is in india. Chinese-
of up to a dozen small side dishes, including style spoons are used to serve from common dishes
balachaung, a spicy mix of crisp deep-fried and for eating soup.
shallots, garlic, chilli and dried prawns, plus fresh
vegetables and herbs with a dip (usually ngapi-ye, Regional cuisine
a watery fish sauce). Chinese green tea will usually Thanks perhaps to the ubiquitous Shan noodles
be thrown in, and sometimes you’ll get a dessert and mi-shay, Shan cooking has a higher profile
such as tasty lahpet thouq (tea-leaf salad; see inside Myanmar than the cuisine of many other
p.324) or jaggery. ethnic minorities. While some dishes are similar to
While many people now use a fork and spoon to their Bamar counterparts, the Shan versions are
eat curry and rice in restaurants, traditionally the often less oily and feature more fresh ingredients,
Burmese eat with their hands. in some places you often being served with a small dish of mon-nyin jin
will see people using their right hands to massage (pickled vegetables). Shan tofu soup (tohu ngwe) is
lumps out of the steamed rice, before ladling gravy a popular breakfast dish – the tofu is actually a
onto the same plate and mixing it through with gram flour paste, cooked with rice vermicelli and
their fingers. When it’s satisfactorily mixed, a small topped with coriander and chilli to serve. Shan-style
handful will be gathered in a pinching motion and buffet meals are common in Mandalay (perhaps
pushed into the mouth using the thumb, with the more so than in Shan State itself), with big colourful
diner taking bites of the meat and vegetables in spreads served all day – best eaten in the morning
between. often, the quantity of rice seems ridicu- or at lunchtime.
lous when compared to the small bowls of curry Further north, the traditional food from Kachin
that are dished up, but these quantities make sense State is also lighter than most Burmese cuisine,
when eating with your hands – the gravy goes a lot with many steamed dishes and some interesting
salads, including amedha thouq, which comprises
TOP FIVE FOOD AND DRINK pounded dried beef flavoured with chilli and herbs,
Shan buffets See above and shat jam, a dish of rice, diced vegetables,
ground meat and herbs mixed together. other
Teahouses See box opposite
Mohinga See p.35 cooked dishes include chekachin, a dish of chicken
Night markets See box, p.38 steamed with herbs in a banana leaf, and sipa –
Lahpet thouq (tea-leaf salad) See p.324 steamed vegetables with herbs topped with a
vaguely sesame-flavoured sauce.

022-053_Myanmar_B2_Basics.indd 36 14/07/17 9:29 am