Why go
A meal offers a quick way to see how geography shapes the country's food. Coastal towns such as Mawlamyine and Dawei have different seafood traditions from inland Mandalay, where freshwater fish also matters. Fermented fish products, rice and varied salads connect many dishes, while Chinese and Indian influences appear in noodles, breads and cooking methods.
The full story
Myanmar's food cannot be reduced to a single curry. Rice is a common base for meals, with side dishes that may include fish, meat, vegetables, soup and relishes. Fish sauce and ngapi, a fermented fish or seafood paste, give many dishes a salty depth. The broad coastline helps explain the use of seafood in places such as Mawlamyine, Myeik and Dawei. Inland cooking also makes use of freshwater fish and shrimp, prepared fresh, dried or fermented. Noodles offer another route into the cuisine: mohinga, a fish based noodle soup, is strongly associated with breakfast. Salads called athoke can bring together noodles, ginger, tomato or lahpet, fermented tea leaves, rather than only raw greens. Neighboring China, India and Thailand have left influences, but each region and community has its own combinations. Sampling a rice meal, a noodle dish and a tea leaf salad reveals more of this range than looking for one supposedly representative plate.