YANGON, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- As the old Myanmar saying goes, "Mango is the best fruit and tea is the best leaf." For centuries, tea leaves have held a special place in Myanmar culture -- not only brewed as a drink, but also eaten as fermented leaves and deeply rooted in everyday life and traditions.
While many countries consume tea only in dried form as a beverage, Myanmar is unique in that tea leaves are consumed in two ways: as dried leaves brewed into tea and as fermented wet tea leaves as food, said Arkar Kyaw, director of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture.
"Myanmar is virtually the only country where tea leaves are traditionally consumed as food, most famously in laphet thoke (tea leaf salad)," he said.
Across different regions and states, tea leaf salads are prepared in various forms, shaped by local traditions and tastes.
Historical records show that tea cultivation in Myanmar dates back to the Bagan era, underscoring its deep roots in the country's history. Beyond cuisine, tea leaves also play an important social and cultural role.
They are used in village customs to resolve disputes as a symbol of reconciliation and peace. They also feature prominently in religious ceremonies, donation ceremonies, hospitality, and wedding traditions, Arkar Kyaw added.
For many people, tea leaves remain an everyday presence. Bhone Myat Khin, 26, said she enjoys many Myanmar dishes and tea leaf salad is one of them.
"I usually eat tea leaf salad two or three times a week. When I get together with my friends, we make tea leaf salad and enjoy it with hot tea," she said.
She added that tea leaves are closely linked to social life, especially in rural areas. Before major donation ceremonies, tea-drinking gatherings are held where village elders, community leaders, donors, and young people meet to discuss preparations.
Guests are traditionally served tea leaves, betel, hot tea, and Myanmar snacks. Welcoming visitors with tea and tea leaf salad remains a common expression of hospitality, she said.
Mainly cultivated in Shan state, Myanmar has more than 800,000 acres of tea plantations nationwide, said U Thein Htwe, chairman of the Myanmar Laphet-so Cultural Heritage Committee under the Myanmar Tea Association.
Eating tea leaf salad is known to stimulate appetite, freshen the breath, and refresh the mind, he said.
Tea leaves are also deeply embedded in traditional practices, including offering them to the Buddha, using them in marriage customs in some regions, symbolically sending invitations with tea leaves, and making peace through tea leaf offerings, Daw Sanda Khin, founder and chair of the Myanmar Cultural Heritage Trust (MCHT), said.
"As citizens, we should all take responsibility for preserving our culture," she said. "If everyone participates, I believe we can sustain our cultural heritage for future generations." ■
