.jpg) Lahpet thoke, Burmese tea leaf salad or pickled tea salad is a favourite national dish. | |
| Place of origin | Burma |
|---|---|
| Region or state | possiblyNamhsan,Shan State |
| Associatedcuisine | Burmese cuisine |
| Main ingredients |
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Lahpet, also spelledlaphet,laphat,lephet,leppet, orletpet in English (Burmese:လက်ဖက်,MLCTS:lak hpak,pronounced[ləpʰɛʔ]), isBurmese forfermented orpickledtea.Myanmar is one of the few countries where tea is consumed both as a drink and as an eaten delicacy, in the form of pickled tea, which is unique to this region. Lahpet is regarded as a national delicacy that plays a significant role inBurmese society, and remains a traditional Burmese gesture of hospitality and is served to guests visiting a home.[1][2]
Its place in thecuisine of Myanmar is reflected by the following popular expression: "Of all thefruit, themango's the best; of all themeat,pork's the best; and of all theleaves, lahpet's the best". In English-speaking areas, laphet is most commonly encountered in "tea leaf salad" (လက်ဖက်သုပ်).[3][4]
Fermented or pickled tea is featured in the cuisines of many ethnicities who live near thegeographical origin of tea, such as the cuisines of theBulang,[5] and inTai cuisine (where it is known asmiang in dishes such asmiang kham).
Burmese tea is processed in three major forms:
Burmese tea is distinguished into seven quality grades:[6]
The practice of eating tea in modern-day Myanmar dates back to prehistoric antiquity, reflecting a legacy of indigenous tribes who pickled and fermented tea leaves inside bamboo tubes, bamboo baskets, plantain leaves and pots.[6] This longstanding history is reflected in theBurmese language, which is among the few world languages whose word for "tea" is not descended from the Chinese word for "tea" (seeetymology of tea).[6] European observers noted with peculiarity, the Burmese fondness for pickled tea leaf, and the practice of burying boiled tea leaves in holes lined with plantain leaves, for the purpose of fermentation.[6]
According to Burmese folklore, tea was introduced to the country by KingAlaungsithu in the 1100s, during thePagan dynasty.[7][6][8] Records of tea drinking date back to his reign, with evidence of royal teacups and tea servers employed in the Burmese royal court.[9] As Burmese kingdoms adopted more austere forms ofTheravada Buddhism, pickled tea began to replace alcohol for ceremonial use among observant Buddhists.[10] To meet growing demand, tea cultivation spread throughout the northern Shan States after 1500.[10] Between the late 1500s to early 1600s, a Buddhist reform movement led by Buddhist monks and laymen succeeded in suppressing the consumption of alcohol in public ceremonies in favor of eating pickled tea.[10] By the late 1700s, alongside cotton, tea had become a significant export for Burma, largely cultivated in the Palaung principality ofTawngpeng.[11]Mandalay Palace, built during the lateKonbaung era, had a Tea Pavilion (လက်ဖက်ရည်ဆောင်) wherein young pages carried messages and prepared tea.[12] The Burmese poetU Ponnya composed verses in theLaphet Myittaza (လက်ဖက်မေတ္တာစာ) and poems that identifiedshwephi tea leaves (ရွှေဖီ,lit. 'golden thrust') as a favorite tea grade of the royal court, and laphet as an integral part of the royal cuisine, both as drink and as a delicacy.[9]Shwephi leaves are considered the highest quality, because they come from the earliest harvests of the year.[13]
Throughout the pre-colonial era, lahpet was considered a symbolic peace offering between warring kingdoms in ancientMyanmar. It was traditionally exchanged and consumed after settling a dispute.[14] In both pre-colonial and colonial times, lahpet was served after a civil court judge made a verdict; eating the lahpet symbolized a formal acceptance of the verdict.[15][16]
During the colonial era,tea shops became a common fixture in urban centres like Rangoon (now Yangon).[17] These shops opened early in the day, and served breakfast, snacks and tea.[17] In the 1970s, tea shops spread to other parts of the country.[17] These establishments have served asthird places and important meeting points for locals.[17] Until recent decades, tea shops were primarily frequented by men.[17]
Since the late 2010s, armed conflict in tea-growing areas betweenethnic armed organisations, including theTa’ang National Liberation Army and theRestoration Council of Shan State, has disrupted the domestic tea supply chain.[13] This has been compounded by theCOVID-19 pandemic, which created a labour shortage and drastically reduced the average selling price of Burmese tea leaves.[13]Bamar migrants from the Anyar region, who traditionally augmented the local workforce during the tea-growing season, have sought higher-paying jobs in Thailand orBurmese-Chinese border towns likeLaukkai andPanghsang.[13]
Tea is native to Myanmar.Camellia sinensis andCamellia assamica, two popular species of tea, are grown in the northernShan State aroundNamhsan in thePalaung substate ofTawngpeng. Tea is also grown aroundMogok in theMandalay Region andKengtung in the eastern Shan State.Zayan leaves, which make up about 80% of the harvest, are picked in April and May before the onset of the seasonalmonsoons, but can be picked up until October.[18][19][20]
Over 700 square kilometres (270 sq mi) of land in Myanmar is under tea cultivation, with an annual yield of 60,000-70,000 tons of fresh product. Of the tea consumed by the country every year, 52% is green tea, 31% is black tea and 17% is pickled tea.[21]
The traditional laphet fermentation process is a three-step process, encompassing pre-fermentation, fermentation, and modification of the fermented tea leaves.[2] Tender juvenile tea leaves and leaf buds are selected for fermenting, while the rest are relegated for drying.[2] After picking, the tea leaves are steamed for about five minutes before either drying or fermenting.[2] Young leaves are then packed into bamboo vats or clay pots, set in pits and pressed by heavy weights to extract water. The fermentation process is checked at intervals and the pulp may occasionally require re-steaming.[19] The anaerobic fermentation is driven by naturally forminglactic acid bacteria, and is completed in 3–4 months.[22] Stages of fermentation are indicated by the pulp's changes in color (from green to golden-green), texture (softened leaves), and acidity, which decreases with time.[2] The near-final pulp is then washed, massaged, and drained. The final form of laphet is then flavored with mincedgarlic, groundchili,salt,lemon juice, andpeanut oil.[2]
.JPG)
Burmese lahpet (လက်ဖက်သုပ်) is served in two main forms. The first is mainly ceremonial and is calledA-hlu lahpet (အလှူလက်ဖက်, လက်ဖက်သုပ်လူကြီးသုပ် or အဖွားကြီးအိုသုပ်) orMandalay lahpet. The second form is mostly served with meals and is more popular.
Mandalay lahpet is traditionally served in a shallowlacquerware dish with a lid and several compartments called alahpet ohk. Pickled tea flavored withsesame oil is put in the central compartment. Other compartments may include ingredients such as crisp friedgarlic,chickpeas,lablab, butterfly peas, Australian peas, toasted sesame and peanuts, crusheddried shrimp, preserved shreddedginger and fried shreddedcoconut.
Lahpet is served in this form forhsun kyway (offering a meal to monks) at Buddhistnovitiation ceremonies calledshinbyu and at weddings.[citation needed] No special occasion or ceremony in Myanmar is considered complete without Mandalay lahpet. Innat (spirit) worship, lahpet is offered to the guardian spirits of forests, mountains, rivers, and fields.[23] Invitations to ashinbyu are traditionally done by calling from door to door with alahpet ohk, and acceptance is indicated by partaking in it.[24]
Lahpet may be served as a snack or after a meal for family and visitors. It is usually placed in the center of the table with the green tea. It has a bittersweet and pungent taste and leafy texture. Many believe in its medicinal properties for the digestive system and for controlling bile and mucus.[18] Its stimulant effect (from thecaffeine in tea) is especially popular with students preparing for exams,pwè goers at all-night theatrical performances, and funeral aides who keep watch on caskets overnight.[1]
Lahpet thohk (လက်ဖက်သုပ်) orYangon lahpet is a pickled tea salad that is very popular across Myanmar, especially with women.[citation needed] It is prepared by mixing the ingredients of Mandalay lahpet (except for the coconut) and adding freshtomatoes, garlic,green chilis, and shredded cabbage, and is dressed withfish sauce,sesame or peanut oil, andlime juice.[1] Lahpet with plain white rice is another student favorite, traditionally served at the end of every meal.[25]
Some of the most popular commercial lahpet brands includeAyee Taung lahpet fromMandalay,Shwe Toak fromMogok, andYuzana andPinpyo Ywetnu fromYangon. Mixed ingredients of fried garlic, peas, peanuts and sesame have become availableHna-pyan gyaw (twice-fried) for convenience, although they are traditionally sold separately.[18][23] Ayee Taung has been around for over 100 years. Its new recipes, such asShu-shè (extra hot) andKyetcheini (Red Cross), are quite popular.
Zayan lahpet is lahpet mixed withcarambola (star fruit) and pickled young leaves cut together with coarse leaves. Many preferMogok lahpet as it uses only young tea leaves.[18]
In theNorthern Thai provinces of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son,lahpet thohk can be found at restaurants where Shan ethnic food is served. In Thai, it is calledyam miang (ยำเหมียง), fromShanneng yam (ၼဵင်ႈယမ်း).[26][27]
The town ofPyay (formerly Prome) is known for a local delicacy known astaw laphet (တောလက်ဖက်;lit. 'rurallaphet') orNibbinda laphet (နိဗ္ဗိန္ဒလက်ဖက်).[28] Originating fromBurmese nunneries in the area, thelaphet is fermented from the leaves of thenaywe (နရွဲ) tree, orkyettet (ကြက်တက်), theCombretum pilosum plant.[29][30] The pulp is then tightly wrapped into driedbanbwe (ဘန့်ပွေး) leaves and left soaking in regularly changed water for up to 2 years, before it is consumed.[29]Taw laphet is otherwise consumed in an identical fashion to traditional laphet.[29]
On 12 March 2009, theMinistry of Health of Myanmar announced that 43 brands of lahpet, including some popular brands, contained a chemical dye calledauramine O that is not permitted for use in food. This issue was believed have arisen fromwholesale dealers using cheaper chemical dyes instead of traditionalfood dyes.[31] Consequently, the Malaysian government banned the sale of those brands of lahpet, whileSingapore also ordered a ban on 20 brands of lahpet from Myanmar, including eight varieties marketed byYuzana which had not been declared unsafe by the Burmese authorities. However,Thailand, which hasa sizable Burmese population, did not announce any ban on lahpet brands. Tea businesses were hit by a dramatic drop in lahpet sales.[32][33][34]
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