Chickpea Tofu and Pickled Tea Leaves: Myanmar's Unreal Cuisine, and Why It's So Hard to Find

Burmese food is something totally unique- a flavor profile shaped by an ancient history with roots connecting the empire to powerful culinary neighbors like China, India, and Siam, but with indigenous techniques and ingredients that make this cuisine all its own.

Somehow, in twelve years cooking and eating in Asia, it never occurred to me how strange it was that I didn't know anything about Burmese food. I never questioned why Thai, Vietnamese, and Malaysian food could be found anywhere, but the largest geographic country in mainland Southeast Asia- a place with a 4000-year history and an outsized influence on the continent- was invisible. But then I tried my first Burmese meal, and all of a sudden, a million questions needed answering.

This video is an attempt to answer- maybe not all of those questions, but at least...say...two or three? What are some of the iconic dishes in Myanmar? How did Burmese food take shape? And why have I never encountered it before?

We're diving into the Bangkok Burmese refugee diaspora to get as deep as we can into Thailand's hidden Myanmar subculture in a culinary adventure on OTR.

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Thank you so much for your support!

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0:00 - Introduction
1:27 - The Street Cart
3:13 - War
5:46 - The Burmese Market
7:00 - Breakfast
9:02 - Exploring
10:12 - Chef Goo Goo
11:28 - Lunch and Culinary Diplomacy
14:22 - The Second Coup
15:11 - Shan State's Favorite Teahouse
17:40 - Pratunam
20:04 - Kalyana and The Future
21:50 - Conclusion

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Video Credits:

Myanmar - 4K Video - Travel Around Myanmar Burma - 4K Video Ultra HD - 4K HDR

The History of Southeast Asia- Every Year

A look at Myanmar one year after military coup

How Burma Became Myanmar

Burma, Rangoon in olden days 1959

Peaceful old Burma 60 years ago

The British in Burma in 1935 3

[4K] Thailand Beach Scenes From Day to Night, Lots of Domestic Tourists

Tayaw Kinpunn aka Myanmar's Traditional Shampoo

Myanmar coup: What led to the military seizing power? - BBC News

Myanmar celebrates early election victory for Aung Sang Suu Kyi′s party 수치 야당，

Polls close in Myanmar election

[wyutyihtay]

I am from Myanmar and wanna say thank you for creating such lovely content about our country's hidden cuisines. With all chaos happening here, we almost forget that it is a great privilege to taste Myanmar food every morning.

[lisahinton]

I am an American and when I lived in Los Angeles, I became friends with a Burmese man. He made me a meal once - I admit I embarrassed myself at how much I ate. I've never tasted anything like that meal before or since, and would dearly love to have been at the table shown in this video, as well.

This was very well-done. Thank you for giving such a clear explanation on why Burmese food hasn't broken through to the West like most all of the other countries in the same region. Very well-done; thanks again.

[trevorz]

Watching from Australia. This brought a tear to my eye as a first generation Burmese- Australian. I just made a batch of Mohinga which I shared with my friends two days ago as I too wish that Burmese cuisine should gain the recognition it deserves. Thankyou from the bottom of my heart for this video!! I look forward to your videos in Myanmar and the day where ohno kaukswe, Shan kaukswe and Le pethoke are ubiquitous!! ❤️

[AeyNatpapat]

I’m Thai. I’ve been to Myanmar twice, really love there and waiting to go there again. I love people, culture, food, etc. everything are so classy.

Sending love to Burmese and pray for you

[krishnakhundongbam]

I am from an Indian state(Manipur) bordering Myanmar and I have tried some of their dishes and i can say that Burmese foods are exactly my type, very flavourful and more vegetable based. And I always make sure I bring back home some packaged Burmese foods specially the ingredients for la phet tho.

[kyawthuhein]

I am a Myanmar student. I also would like to thank you for spreading the traditions of Myanmar and showing the real situation of our country. We would like everyone to know what is Myanmar and what is happening here. This is such an amazing video about our country. Hopefully Myanmar may gain freedom from this political chaos and get more opportunities for everyone.

[hwp]

I'm watching from Myanmar. This video is great. You did a really good job about your video quality standard. Camera shots, position, sound quality and editing are so perfect. Great work, keep it up.

[_Kris.And.The.Comfort.Food_]

Stayed in Myanmar for 1, 5 years and I miss literally everything from there. Living in that country was an incredible experience. Food from all regions, landscapes, cultures, and Burmeses and their kindness are the things that make my life there so special and unforgettable

[hennytun]

As a person living abroad, your video makes me miss my country even more.
Thanks a million for making this video and loving our food. I really love the whole story line in this video. How the scripts goes along well with what’s happening now in Myanmar and letting people know that there is this golden country full of savoury food and diverse food to eat. And obviously, all the foods shown in this video left me with my mouth watering.
Thanks OTR and Chef Goo Goo for making this video happen. ❤

[govindakrishna]

As a kid growing up in Myanmar and having moved to the States, I always wondered what stopped Myanmar and Burmese cuisine from breaking through like Vietnamese, Thai, Indian and many other southern and south east asian cuisines have in the West. I felt that the focus on savory over sweet would have translated really well to western pallets and this video does an amazing job detailing why Burma effectively fell off the map

[diefordimples]

As a Burmese living abroad, the video has made my mouth watering. I love all the food that's introduced in the video and I miss them so bad.
Also thank you very much Chef Goo Goo for keeping the Burmese from extinction at a point in future. I truly respect and agree what she doing for the country. I would like to thank OTR Food & History channel as well for letting people know the food history of Myanmar.

[ukochenlele]

I am from Myanmar and I cried three times while watching this. Thanks a million for recognizing and appreciating our Myanmar cuisine and for creating this incredible video. I can't even describe how much I'm proud of these foods. Like Chef GooGoo said, I also really want those three recipes to be famous all over the world. (Lat phet thoke, Shan Noodles and Mon-hin-ga) These are my favourite top three. Their taste is so balanced and really delicious and the constituents are incredibly nutritional. I wish the world people could taste them frequently.

[xm_mx]

As a person from Myanmar, I can say we were never hiding, whether in plain sight or otherwise. We just didn't try too hard to "stand out" like other countries who spend a good deal of money on marketing for tourism and foreign direct investment, etc. Thanks for making this video - you just helped us "stand out" a bit.

[Auntie_Magic]

As a person from Myanmar, I’m so happy that someone finally pay attention to our country’s dishes! I’m glad you loved every each bite!

[escapementality]

Our first Burmese meal was a week ago here in Chiang Mai and it was exactly the same dishes as yours! And life changing. Such amazing unique flavours. We're off to Bangkok tomorrow so will have to check out some of the places you recommended. Maybe we'll see you around :).

[pinkmonkeybird]

I’m just an average American living in a culturally diverse city, and I am grateful that it has afforded me the opportunity to experience a wide range of cuisines and cultures. Fermented tea leaf salad is pretty well known here, and it’s incredibly addictive and delicious. You don’t always have to travel to every corner of the world to experience new foods, but you do need to be open minded and willing to try unfamiliar foods and flavors.

[WoolLiam_Coc]

This need to be viral. Your information input and dedication for this video is incredible. Thank you for showing the world about our country. You just got a new subscriber ❤

[mrvip]

Thank you, and as a burmese born Australian, who also lived in Bangkok, I have so much respect for this video and its content. I am also married to an European wife and i introduced everyone i know to the forgotten burmese cuisine. Everyone loves all the dishes, especially my wife loves Monhinga and laphet thote. You guys are doing an amazing job. Great videos on the channel. Keep up the great job. It brought so many memories back and tears to my eyes. If there's any way I can help to spread the Forgotten Cuisine, I'm here. Thank you again.

[boram_a]

As a *Burmese*, I'm so glad you create this video and put the history behind food. Literally, everything related to Burmese are not recognized because of everything had and have been happening. It's indeed sad.

[jkcookie]

As a Burmese, thank you so much for sharing our cultures. It's been so long since foreigners make a video about our country. It makes me so happy to see this. Thanks a lot! Please come enjoy here again♡