HERITAGE
The extraordinary heritage of tea dates back many centuries, Myanmar tea history according to a tea-themed poem composed by U Ponn Nya (an ancient famous poet), says that the Danu and Palaung ethnic people cultivated the tea plants to be presented to King Duttaaung who ascended to throne in AD739 in Thayaekittaya era. Tea has been considered the royal drink since the 11th century in Myanmar.
And yet globally it is only now beginning to be fully appreciated as it becomes better known. Initiatives such as a dedicated book written by Martin Petrich called “All About Tea - with a special focus on Southern Shan State” (produced by ITC and the Myanmar SECO-UN Trade Cluster Project) are helping tea aficionados and tea lovers alike become better acquainted with the rituals and processes of the nation’s unique offerings, including using it as a culinary delicacy in salads.
A delicacy to be discovered
The art of eating tea
Surely you have already drunk many cups of tea. But have you ever eaten tea? If not, then it’s time to try it. And Myanmar is more or less the only place in the world to do that. When you are visiting a private home, paying respects to Buddhist monks in a monastery or looking for handcrafts in a traditional shop - it is likely that you are offered fermented tea (laphet-so). Often it is served in a beautiful lacquerware tray together with various peas and peanuts, fried garlic, toasted sesame and crushed dried shrimps. You take a spoon or use your right hand, mix the tea leaves with the other ingredients and eat it. The taste is a little bit bitter. This way is called Ahlu-laphet (“almsgiving tea”) and in daily life is primarily served after a meal or as a snack.
Making peace with fermented tea (laphet-so)
However, Ahlu-laphet is more than a snack. It is a symbol of generosity, goodwill and hospitality. Engagements, house-warming ceremonies, funerals - fermented tea is always part of it. As a proverb says: “Offer fermented tea to gain favours”, it plays a significant role in social life. There is hardly any official function or cultural ceremony, where fermented tea leaves are not given. Parents of the wedding couple send parcels of pickled tea to their relatives and friends to invite them to the marriage ceremony of their children.
In the past the leaves were even a peacemaker: Kings offered Ahlu-laphet to their enemies as a gesture of willingness to end a battle. If the opponents accepted this gift, a truce was very likely. The same was true with court cases. Before the judge announced his verdict, the conflicting parties had to eat fermented tea from the same plate. This meant that both sides accepted the judgement.
They [bride and groom] are also supposed to feed one another, in love-bird fashion, but the chewing of betel and salad tea, let-hpet, by the parents on both sides - the national way of ratifying any contract, legal or commercial - is the really effective rite”
Laphet at a wedding
Sir J. George Scott, Burma: a Handbook of Practical Information, London 1906, P. 83
A great salad
But there is another way of eating pickled tea: as salad. Typical ingredients for laphet-thoke, as this dish is called, are fermented tea leaves, mixed with fresh, thinly sliced tomatoes, garlic, green chili, dried prawns, sesame or peanut oil, and lime juice. As Myanmar writer Ba Than describes it: “No party nor feast, nor even a formal festivity is complete in Burma without Laphet-thoke.” (Myanmar’s Attractions and Delights, Yangon 2003).
You can find varieties of fermented tea salad like the spicy and sour chinsat laphet-thoke, danyhin thee laphet where jengkol peas are added, or pyaung phoo be-ou laphet-thoke where the tea leaves are mixed with corn and duck eggs. Today you can find fermented tea leaves in quite a number of dishes - together with rice, dumplings, sushi and even as a topping added to pizzas.
Recycling tea
The Dutch sailors had their own way of eating tea leaves. As Dutch missionary, Fr. Philippus Baldæus (1632-1671) observed: “The Tea [after being used in water] was reused by our people for salad, together with vinegar, oil and pepper, and it is not of a bad taste at all”
Traditional way of making Laphet-so
Steaming the leaves
This is done in a wooden strainer, which is placed over the mouth of a large cauldron of boiling water for a minute or two only, so as to moisten and soften the leaves. This process enables them to be easily and quickly rolled with the hands on a mat, whilst another batch is being steamed on the cauldron. Steaming helps preserve colour and flavour. Besides softening the leaves, it also reduces their bitterness.
Fermenting the leaves
After steaming the leaves are rolled into a pulp, put into baskets and left till the next day. Then the baskets are put into compressors or pits in the ground and covered by plastic sheets with heavy weights on top. There they are left during the entire fermentation process. It is important to have stable climatic conditions with rather cool temperatures. The whole process takes at least three months and ideally upwards of six months. It is completed when the pulp changes from green to yellowish green, the leaves soften, and acidity is reduced.
Grading and sorting
Following fermentation, the tea is removed from underground, checked for quality and sorted. Any sticks and other unwanted materials (like leaves which became very dark in colour) are removed. Fermented tea that is yellowish green in colour is an indicator of good quality.
Tea
shops - Myanmar's living heritage
Low wooden stools around a short square table, with some longyi-clad men sitting on them sipping cups of tea. This is a common sight in traditional tea shops all over Myanmar. Tea shops are ubiquitous and come in all shapes and sizes. Some are wooden huts with simple plastic stools and knee-high tables, others are fancy halls with big TV screens to show the latest soccer game. But the atmosphere is everywhere the same: A smooch like sound catches the attention of the young waiter. And moments later he serves a cup of steaming laphet yay - boiled black tea served with evaporated and sweetened condensed milk. If you are looking for some typical dishes your server might propose that you try some pae pyote nan pyar (naan bread with chickpeas), e kyar kway (a Chinese-style breadstick) palata (roti with sugar or boiled peas), or samsosa (a triangular shaped fried snack, filled with potatoes, cabbage, onion and peas). To wash down the heavy sweetness of the laphet yay, there is always a pot of yay nway chan (plain tea with green or black leaves) on the table. Here you can see the strong influences of both India and China.
An endangered species
Tea shops in Myanmar are many things in one: a place to chat, flirt and discuss. Traditionally, this is where you can indulge your thoughts and make plans. In a way tea shops are a kind of parliament of the common people. But things are changing. Instead of people talking to each other, you find them more frequently sitting quietly together, each staring at their smartphones, watching video clips and chatting via their social media channels. In bigger cities, the young in particular prefer spending their leisure time in shopping malls, fast-food chains or coffee shops. In order to keep their customers, many tea shops install TV screens to show football matches, TV shows or foreign movies. Or they extend their menus and add freshly brewed coffee, ice-cold smoothies or Chinese dim sum. Some try to be more appealing by upgrading their décor, installing flashy neon signs or providing air-conditioned rooms. A few try a fusion between Western-style bars and traditional tea shops. An example of this is Rangoon Tea House in Yangon, where you can get cocktails as well as all kinds of Myanmar tea. But despite the changes and growing competition, the tea shop culture is strong enough to remain. Why? Because there are sufficient people around the country who just love this unique atmosphere: to sit and chat while sipping a cup of laphet yay.
A place for all
Laphet Yay Sai, as the Myanmar people call their beloved tea shop, is a place for everyone. People from all walks of life are welcome here - be it a retired teacher catching up with his former colleagues, students sharing their homework before classes or a smart businessman having an early breakfast before starting his business trip. One of the reasons is that the drinks and meals are quite affordable.
Tea shops provide a space to exchange opinions, solve problems, share hopes and express dreams. Contracts are discussed, conflicts resolved and political ideas exchanged. Important tasks start at tea shops. Here government officials and company staff often share their opinions over a cup of tea before they go to formal meetings.
