Last Updated on January 31, 2025 by Christine Kaaloa
Traveling as a vegetarian can be hard. But somehow, it didn’t feel that way in Myanmar. Wherever I went sightseeing and looked on a menu, there were always options for the veggie in me to eat a meal with no meat. …Okay, well, more like the pescatarian. Nevertheless, I felt like I had options, between the grocery stores or the guesthouses I stayed at, which were good about offering a menu with various options for different palates and diets. In this post I’m sharing must try foods in Myanmar.
In Myanmar, you’ll notice that the Burmese have their culinary roots in Chinese, Indian and Thai foods. There’s also influences from surrounding ethnic minorities such as Shan, Mon, Hin and Rakhine and it’s all delicious!
Read Vegetarian tips for Travel
Must Try Foods in Myamar
Table of Contents: 5 Must Try Foods in Myanmar You’ll Love
1. Laphet thote: Pickled Tea Leaf Salad (pescatarian)
Myanmar has some salads (thote) that are refreshingly great for a hot Burmese day and along with that comes one of my favorite food discoveries. Pickled Tea Salad (aka Laphet Thote ) is a traditional delicacy in Burma. It’s not vegetarian but has seafood ingredients in it. It doesn’t look delicious, but watch out~ between the fresh garlic chunks and fish sauce in this dish, you’ll be yearning for more! (Just be sure to carry breath mints!)
It’s got garlic (heavenly garlic), fried peas, nuts, tomato, crushed chili, lime juice, ginger, crushed shrimps and fish sauce. Mmmmm. This wonderful flavor is nutty, citrusy and crunchy and comes in ranges of mild to spicy and mine was quite mild.
Using tea leaves seems quite unusual and the Burmese use it in their foods as they are symbolic of peace. This salad is often served at weddings and ceremonies and is made from fermented tea leaves and mixed with fried beans, peas, tomatoes, garlic, chili and cabbage. Yum. You can take this with rice or eat it alone. I found the latter just perfect for me.
To know more about this salad and how it’s made or more about Burmese culture, watch mydaydreamVids‘ vlogs. She’s Burmese and will vlog about Myanmar and it’s culture.
2. Pe Byeok : Burmese breakfast (vegetarian)
Pe Byeok is a traditional Burmese breakfast and is a common dish that’s easily found. The dish is seasoned boiled lentil beans, often served with a side of naan bread or rice. It’s simple but it’s got a nice salted flavor and it’s packed with good protein. I found this type of breakfast quite filling and inexpensive, which goes to show you why it’s a popular breakfast among locals of any economic bracket.
I’ve also bought some from the grocery store to have with a cup of rice. The lentils were a little smaller and it was cooked in an oil, which helped add flavor. Yum!
3. Mohinka
Mohinka is a traditional rice noodle soup and I almost fell in love with it,… until I found the egg and pork bits tucked away in it. Drat. Sometimes you can’t tell what you’re getting until you bite down into it.
But carnivores lovers have it made with this, because the fish broth is yummy with some substance to it, with parsley (yuuuum!), onions, peanuts and thin rice noodles. Definitely a delicious meal to start the day with.
4. Shan Traditional Rice Noodle Soup
The Shan Traditional Rice Noodle Soup is similar, which bits of chicken, minced pork, tomatoes, onions, pickled mustard greens and a vine of mangetout. The difference of ingredients are slight, but equally hearty.
5. Indian Vegetable Thali (vegetarian)
I know this dish might hold mixed debate. It’s not uncommon to find Thali in India, Nepal, Malaysia and basically anywhere with an Indian influence. But you’ll also find Burmese food is greatly influenced by Indian food as well and Myanmar has a good share of Indian restaurants! This is a good vegetarian survival dish.
Thali comes as a set meal with rice, daal (a lentil gravy/soup) and various vegetable assortments. The spread you see before me was a local Indian restaurant off one of a busy local side street. Although the main portions look small, it came with extra chillies, spiced toppings, oils and stews to add flavor to the mean. There was also a waiter walking around offering second helpings if I wanted, in a similar way you might find eating temple food in India.].
