Burma might be a small country, at least compared to other Asian powerhouses like India and China. The country, now officially known as Myanmar has a population of just 53 million.
But being close to Thailand, China, and India, has helped the country and the cuisine. Those are the three cuisines that affect the Burmese cuisine the most. A staple in Burmese cuisine is fish, and fish products. Even breakfast options come with fish.
Seafood is a common ingredient in coastal cities, and the cuisine also includes several salads. Usually, the salads are centered around one major ingredient, which can be rice, noodles, or potato and tomato.
People in Burma have a saying, “of all the fruit, the mango’s the best, and of all the meat, the pork’s the best”. People in Burma use food not just to satisfy their hunger, but as a medicine as well. In the traditional Burmese medicine, foods are divided into two classes: heating (chicken, mango, chocolate, ice cream, and so on), and cooling (pork, cucumbers, radish, dairy, and so on).
Burma bites offers an introduction to Burmese cuisine, culture, and language, focusing mostly on bite-sized introductions.
