Food in Myanmar

Rice is the main staple in Myanmar, alongside fish, vegetables, pulses, maize, groundnuts, sesame, palm oil and livestock products. The Ayeyarwady Delta and other fertile inland plains support paddy production, while the Central Dry Zone is drier. Coastal communities rely more on marine fishing, inland areas use freshwater fisheries and aquaculture, Shan State is known for tea, the central region produces pulses, and the southern coast supplies dried shrimp. The monsoon generally lasts from about mid-May to October and affects farming, transport and food availability. Most meals are prepared at home or bought from markets, street stalls, tea shops, canteens, restaurants and hotels. Common foods include rice dishes, curries, fish, noodles and salads. Fermentation, pickling, drying and salting help preserve ingredients and create distinctive flavours. Mohinga combines rice noodles with fish broth and is widely eaten, often for breakfast. Laphet thoke combines fermented tea leaves with ingredients such as cabbage, tomato, garlic, peanuts, sesame, chilli and fish sauce. Nga Htamin Nè combines Shan rice, fish, tomato and garlic oil. Rakhine Mont Ti and A-Pu Hlya-Pu use rice noodles, fish and fish paste in sour or spicy preparations. Other regional specialties include Mandalay Htoe Mont, Pathein Halawa and dishes associated with Kachin, Shan, Rakhine, Mon and Kayin communities. Food hospitality often includes laphet thoke and Yei-Nway-Gyan as a shared welcome or community practice. Laphet may also appear at religious ceremonies, festivals and social gatherings. Regional and ethnic food cultures are formally recognized, but customs are not uniform across Myanmar. In a Rakhine first-crop ceremony, the first prepared harvest food may be offered first to the Buddha, monks, elders, teachers and relatives. This is a documented regional practice, not a rule for every household or ceremony. The currency used for food purchases is the Myanmar kyat (MMK). No reliable nationwide meal-price list applies to every location. Costs change with urban or rural setting, season, transport conditions and security. In January 2026, Emata rice was reported at about 10% below its elevated January 2025 level, while WFP reported in January 2025 that rice, beans, oil and salt had risen by about 30% compared with the previous year. Cash remains widely used, but conflict, the 2025 earthquake, displacement, inflation, financing problems and transport disruption limit physical or economic access in many areas. A 2026 estimate placed about 8.5 million people, around 15% of the population, in high acute food insecurity; the figure is time-sensitive and should not be treated as a permanent national rate. Humanitarian food, cash and nutrition assistance is targeted and depends on location, eligibility and safe access. No universal state food entitlement or single nationwide benefit pathway was established in the available evidence. Myanmar food guidance uses six food groups, while guidance for pregnant and breastfeeding women uses seven food groups together with household-measure food exchanges. UNICEF data reported early breastfeeding initiation at 67%, exclusive breastfeeding from birth to five months at 51%, modeled stunting at 24%, two doses of vitamin A at 93% and iodized salt above 0 parts per million in 85% of households. Older findings reported that 21% of children received food from at least four food groups and 43% were fed too infrequently. These figures come from different dates and methods. Complementary feeding guidance begins at six months, and actual practice varies by household access, food prices and local conditions. The National Food Law covers food quality, safety and hygiene. Production, import, export, storage, transport, distribution and sale can be subject to control. Producers and importers may have obligations concerning quality, labels, advertising and information requested by authorities. Food inspectors carry out inspections, and Township Food and Drug Supervisory Committees can follow up on findings. The Food and Drug Administration includes food-control and laboratory functions, with branches including Yangon and Mandalay and additional coverage in other regions and border-trade areas. The Myanmar Food Authority coordinates food oversight across sectors. A 2025 food-hygiene and inspection-certification guideline follows Codex and ASEAN approaches, and a 2026 risk-based inspection and certification procedure supports local manufacturers through electronic submission. Oversight includes illegal imports, university catering, roadside eateries, rest stops, hotel and motel restaurants, and wildlife or insect-meat markets. Water quality, hygiene and cold-chain conditions differ substantially by area, and no single nationwide inspection or approval time is established. Food sustainability work includes climate-smart agriculture, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, integrated pest management, sustainable land, forest and water management, post-harvest loss reduction, and more resilient livestock, fisheries and aquaculture. Fisheries face overfishing, illegal fishing, habitat loss and climate risks. Village fisheries societies, local co-management, mangrove restoration and fishponds provide practical responses in some places. A 2024 eco-stove initiative worked with 25 small-scale fishery groups. The stove reduced the wood used for a rice pot from about 10 to 12 pieces to about 3 and cost about MMK 13,500, potentially reducing demand for mangrove wood. Access to such projects depends on location, financing, safety and project coverage.