Bringing Myanmar cuisine to the world

Possessing a rich and unique flavor, traditional Myanmar cuisine is still little known on the world map. This is changing rapidly thanks to the enthusiasm of the children from the "land of Buddha" to promote their homeland's specialties to international friends.

Thwe Thwe Min, owner of restaurant 95YOOYA, Ebisu district of Tokyo, Japan. (Source: 95YOOYA )

Traditional Flavor

Due to its geographical location, Myanmar cuisine is a “painting” that blends the cultures of South and Southeast Asian countries, along with unique local ingredients. The dishes feature rich flavors, fresh ingredients and skillful preparation techniques by balancing the five main flavors: sweet, sour, spicy, salty and bitter.

According to Corriander Leaf Group - one of Myanmar's high-end restaurant chains, when mentioning the cuisine of this Southeast Asian country, one cannot miss mohinga - a rich fish soup, seasoned with lemongrass, chives and a mixture of spices or shan noodles with hand-pulled noodles, rich broth and many types of side dishes.

As one of the few countries that use tea leaves for food, tea leaf salad (lephet thoke) is a favorite dish of the people of Myanmar. The skillful combination of fermented tea leaves, crunchy nuts and many other ingredients brings a fresh and flavorful experience. Curries are also particularly impressive with the blend of many spices. From mild to very spicy, Myanmar curries bring a symphony of flavors that can satisfy the palate of many diners.

Myanmar’s street food is also a diverse sensory experience. From samosas and crispy fried doughnuts served with a special tamarind sauce to delicious Mandalay skewers made from meat and vegetables that leave the taste lingering long after the last bite. No street food journey would be complete without Mont Lone Yay Paw - a sweet dish usually made with sticky rice and palm sugar…

Promotional "mission"

For those living abroad, traditional Myanmar dishes are always a link to their homeland. Through community-building activities, they discuss recipes, cook together, and find ways to introduce their homeland’s cuisine to international friends.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that Thailand hosts 4.1 million migrants from Myanmar. As a result, the country is also home to a large number of restaurants serving Burmese food.

Famous among them are Pinnacle Haus restaurant located in Bangkok's bustling Sukhumvit Road, which serves traditional dishes; Loft Burmese Eatery restaurant, associated with large portions of Shan sakaw htamin, a traditional Shan rice dish; Rangoon Tea House, famous for street food and Myanmar tea….

According to Nikkei Asia , many Myanmar people abroad are becoming "ambassadors" to promote the country's cuisine throughout Asia and the world. The most prominent is Ms. Phyu Cyn (nicknamed Lady Goo Goo), who used to be a public relations consultant and specialized in organizing international culinary events in Myanmar. She is currently the organizer of dinner clubs and pop-up culinary events in many major cities such as Hong Kong (China), Stockholm (Sweden), Paris (France) and Brussels (Belgium). She shared: "I want to promote Myanmar cuisine to as many people as possible. That is my mission."

Food at Myanmar Pinnacle Haus restaurant in Bangkok. (Source: Pinnacle Haus)

To bring the flavors of Myanmar cuisine closer to international diners, dishes are creatively created in a new way compared to traditional dishes.

For example, in the laphet gremolata, she transforms the ancient laphet thoke (fermented tea leaf salad) into a gremolata-like sauce to pair with rice cakes and seasonal vegetables. Not stopping there, in November 2024, at a pop-up event in Bangkok called “Friends of Myanmar,” she collaborated with Htun Htun, a Myanmar chef working in France, to create ethnic dishes with a French twist.

From samosas and traditional pickled tea leaves placed in a tart shell made from chickpeas, topped with grilled shrimp and corn. Or mont lin mayar - a street food made from rice flour that has been "upgraded" with scallops instead of quail eggs, shwe htamin (yellow sticky rice) combined with coconut cream instead of grated coconut... The dishes are all modern, but still retain the characteristics of Myanmar cuisine.

Chef Orng Joitamoi, who recently opened Echo Dining in M-tower, Yangon, Myanmar, recently organized a pop-up event to showcase his hometown cuisine in Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. He transformed simple home-cooked dishes such as braised chicken with bottle gourd, grilled sea bream with noni leaves, and pork cooked with fermented horse beans into beautiful, sophisticated dishes.

To bring the flavors of Myanmar cuisine closer to international diners, dishes are creatively created in a new way compared to traditional dishes.

Telling stories about the country...

The number of Myanmar culinary “ambassadors” is growing. Many hope to promote their national cuisine to global diners and, in doing so, tell the world the story of their country.

One of the most successful ones today is Ms. Thwe Thwe Min (aka Stephani Mah), owner of the restaurant 95YOOYA located in the Ebisu area of ​​Tokyo (Japan). To realize her idea, she quit her high-level job in the insurance industry in Singapore to move to Japan, starting to serve Burmese food in October 2023.

Thwe Thwe said the menu at 95YOOYA is a reflection of her childhood memories, showcasing the authentic flavors of Myanmar cuisine. She hopes that 95YOOYA will act as a bridge between cultures, using cuisine as a common language to share the stories of Myanmar. “Through food, I want to share with the world the authentic flavors, warmth and hospitality of Myanmar.” She is delighted that “people love and appreciate the unique flavors” from the land of the Golden Pagoda.

With the initial desire to create cultural and community places imbued with the homeland's identity, where Myanmar people living abroad can enjoy their hometown dishes, through long-term efforts, the "ambassadors" have contributed to spreading the unique traditional cuisine, with rich historical stories, and cultural diversity of the "land of Buddha" to international friends.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/mang-am-thuc-myanmar-ra-the-gioi-308282.html