Learn Myanmar before you go

10 phrases to learn

In Burmese. Capital letters show the stressed part. Tap the heart to practise a phrase later.

At the table

• The eldest people at the table are served first. At home the first scoop of rice from the pot is often set aside as a sign of respect for one's parents.
• Traditionally the Burmese eat rice with the fingertips of the right hand, but a spoon and fork are common today. Chopsticks and Chinese-style spoons are used for noodles.
• All the dishes arrive at the same time and are shared. Take a little of each with your rice rather than filling your plate with one dish.
• Plain green tea is usually served free in restaurants and tea shops, and a light soup is often drunk during the meal instead of other drinks.
• Many Buddhists do not eat beef and Muslims do not eat pork. During Buddhist Lent, roughly from July to October, some people eat only vegetarian food on certain days.

Local tips

Dishes to try

• Mohinga (မုန့်ဟင်းခါး): The national dish: thin rice noodles in a fish broth thickened with toasted chickpea flour or rice, flavoured with lemongrass, ginger, garlic, onion and banana stem. It is topped with boiled egg, crisp fritters, coriander and a squeeze of lime.
• Tea leaf salad (lahpet thoke) (လက်ဖက်သုပ်): Pickled tea leaves mixed by hand with crunchy fried beans and peas, peanuts, toasted sesame, fried garlic, dried shrimp, tomato and green chilli, and dressed with peanut oil, fish sauce and lime.
• Shan noodles (Shan khauk swe) (ရှမ်းခေါက်ဆွဲ): Flat or round rice noodles with chicken or minced pork cooked with tomato, garlic and onion, topped with crushed roasted peanuts and served with pickled mustard greens. It comes as a soup or as a dry noodle dish with a little broth on the side.
• Coconut chicken noodles (ohn no khao swe) (အုန်းနို့ခေါက်ဆွဲ): Wheat noodles in a mild curried chicken broth made with coconut milk and thickened with chickpea flour. It is served with boiled egg, raw onion, crispy fried noodles, chilli, fish sauce and lime.
• Mandalay noodle salad (nan gyi thoke) (နန်းကြီးသုပ်): Thick, round rice noodles mixed with a chicken curry sauce and chilli oil, sprinkled with toasted chickpea flour and topped with onion, boiled egg, fish cake and crispy noodles. It is a favourite breakfast in Mandalay.
• Sour rice balls (htamin jin) (ထမင်းချဉ်): Rice kneaded with boiled fish from the lake, tomato and mashed potato, shaped into balls and topped with crispy garlic and garlic oil. It is served with roasted chilli flakes in oil.
• Burmese tofu (to hpu) (တိုဖူး): A smooth yellow 'tofu' made not from soya but from chickpea flour or yellow split peas, cooked with water, turmeric and salt until thick and then left to set. It is eaten sliced in a salad or fried into crisp fritters.
• Burmese curry (hsibyan) (ဆီပြန်): The most common Burmese curry: chicken, pork, fish or prawns slowly cooked with onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric and paprika until the water has boiled away and the oil rises to the top. Burmese curries are usually milder than Thai ones and seldom use coconut milk. They are eaten with rice, a sour soup and many small side dishes.

Cities to see

• Naypyidaw (capital): The Uppatasanti Pagoda, Very wide, empty roads, Government buildings and the parliament.
• Yangon: The Shwedagon Pagoda, Colonial buildings, Tea shops and street food.
• Mandalay: Mandalay Palace and its moat, Mandalay Hill, The Kuthodaw Pagoda.
• Bagan: Thousands of ancient temples, Sunrise over the plain, Lacquerware.
• Pyin Oo Lwin: The 'City of Flowers', Colonial houses, Botanical gardens.
• Myitkyina: Near the Myitsone, where the Irrawaddy begins, Kachin culture, The end of the railway line.

Landmarks and the city map are on the Myanmar trip