Lahpet

Lahpet, also spelled laphet, laphat, lephet, leppet, or letpet in English (, ), is Burmese for fermented or pickled tea. 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 in Burmese society, and remains a traditional Burmese gesture of hospitality and is served to guests visiting a home.

Its place in the cuisine of Myanmar is reflected by the following popular expression: "Of all the fruit, the mango's the best; of all the meat, pork's the best; and of all the leaves, lahpet's the best". In English-speaking areas, laphet is most commonly encountered in "tea leaf salad" ().

Fermented or pickled tea is featured in the cuisines of many ethnicities who live near the geographical origin of tea, such as the cuisines of the Bulang, and in Tai cuisine (where it is known as ''miang'' in dishes such as miang kham).

Forms

Burmese tea is processed in three major forms:
*''Lahpet chauk'' (), or dried tea leaves, also called ''a-gyan gyauk'' (), is used to make green tea, which is called ''yei-nway gyan'' (, plain/crude hot water) or ''lahpet-yei gyan'' (, plain/crude tea). Green tea is the national drink in the predominantly Buddhist Myanmar, a country with no national drink other than palm wine.
*''Acho gyauk'' (, ), or black tea, is used to make sweet Burmese milk tea (, ''lahpetyei gyo'') with milk and sugar.
*''Lahpet so'' (, ) specifically refers to a pickled tea, despite ''lahpet'' being generally synonymous with pickled tea.

Quality grades

Burmese tea is distinguished into seven quality grades:

# 'Golden bracelet' ()
# 'Extraordinary weft' ()
# 'Weft' ()
# 'Top grade' ()
# 'Medium top grade' ()
# 'Medium grade' ()
# 'Low grade' ()

File:Lahpet Tasters.JPG, Tasters at a lahpet stall in Mandalay
File:Lahpet for sale.jpg, Lahpet dressed with garlic and chilli
File:Fried garnish.JPG, Fried garnish with lahpet
File:Laphet thoke.JPG, Lahpet dish
File:Lahpet in bulk.JPG, Lahpet for sale at a market in Mandalay
File:Pickled Tea & Ginger Salad.JPG, Lahpet thoke and gyin thoke (ginger salad)

History

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. This longstanding history is reflected in the Burmese language, which is among the few world languages whose word for "tea" is not etymologically traced back to the Chinese word for "tea" (see etymology of tea). 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.

According to Burmese folklore, tea was introduced to the country by King Alaungsithu in the 1100s, during the Pagan dynasty. Records of tea drinking date back to his reign, with evidence of royal teacups and tea servers employed in the Burmese royal court. As Burmese kingdoms adopted more austere forms of Theravada Buddhism, pickled tea began to replace alcohol for ceremonial use among observant Buddhists. To meet growing demand, tea cultivation spread throughout the northern Shan States after 1500. 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. By the late 1700s, alongside cotton, tea had become a significant export for Burma, largely cultivated in the Palaung principality of Tawngpeng. Mandalay Palace, built during the late Konbaung era, had a Tea Pavilion (လက်ဖက်ရည်ဆောင်) wherein young pages carried messages and prepared tea. The Burmese poet U Ponnya composed verses in the ''Laphet Myittaza'' (လက်ဖက်မေတ္တာစာ) and poems that identified ''shwephi'' tea leaves (, ) 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. ''Shwephi'' leaves are considered the highest quality, because they come from the earliest harvests of the year.

Throughout the pre-colonial era, lahpet was considered a symbolic peace offering between warring kingdoms in ancient Myanmar. It was traditionally exchanged and consumed after settling a dispute. 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.

During the colonial era, tea shops became a common fixture in urban centres like Rangoon (now Yangon). These shops opened early in the day, and served breakfast, snacks and tea. In the 1970s, tea shops spread to other parts of the country. These establishments have served as third places and important meeting points for locals. Until recent decades, tea shops were primarily frequented by men.

Since the late 2010s, armed conflict in tea-growing areas between ethnic armed organisations, including the Ta’ang National Liberation Army and the Restoration Council of Shan State, has disrupted the domestic tea supply chain. This has been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, which created a labour shortage and drastically reduced the average selling price of Burmese tea leaves. Bamar migrants from the Anyar region, who traditionally augmented the local workforce during the tea-growing season, have sought higher-paying jobs in Thailand or Burmese-Chinese border towns like Laukkai and Panghsang.

Cultivation

Tea is native to Myanmar. ''Camellia sinensis'' and '' Camellia assamica,'' two popular species of tea, are grown in the northern Shan State around Namhsan in the Palaung substate of Tawngpeng. Tea is also grown around Mogok in the Mandalay Region and Kengtung 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 seasonal monsoons, but can be picked up until October.

Over 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.

Processing

The traditional laphet fermentation process is a three-step process, encompassing pre-fermentation, fermentation, and modification of the fermented tea leaves. Tender juvenile tea leaves and leaf buds are selected for fermenting, while the rest are relegated for drying. After picking, the tea leaves are steamed for about five minutes before either drying or fermenting. 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. The anaerobic fermentation is driven by naturally forming lactic acid bacteria, and is completed in 3–4 months. 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. The near-final pulp is then washed, massaged, and drained. The final form of laphet is then flavored with minced garlic, ground chili, salt, lemon juice, and peanut oil.

Preparation styles

Burmese lahpet () is served in two main forms. The first is mainly ceremonial and is called ''A-hlu lahpet'' () or Mandalay lahpet. The second form is mostly served with meals and is more popular.

Mandalay lahpet is traditionally served in a shallow lacquerware dish with a lid and several compartments called a ''lahpet ohk''. Pickled tea flavored with sesame oil is put in the central compartment. Other compartments may include ingredients such as crisp fried garlic, chickpeas, lablab

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