In the

Burmese language Burmese (; ) is a Tibeto-Burman languages, Tibeto-Burman language spoken in Myanmar, where it is the official language, lingua franca, and the native language of the Bamar people, Bamar, the country's largest ethnic group. Burmese dialects are a ...

, the term ''mont'' (; ) translates to "snack", and refers to a wide variety of prepared foods, ranging from sweet desserts to savory food items that may be cooked by steaming, baking, frying, deep-frying, or boiling. Foods made from

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

rice flour Rice flour (also rice powder) is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It is distinct from rice starch, which is usually produced by steeping rice in lye. Rice flour is a common substitute for wheat flour. It is also used as a thickening ...

are generally called ''mont'', but the term may also refer to certain varieties of noodle dishes, such as ''

mohinga Mohinga (, ; also spelt mont hin gar) is the national dish of Myanmar. Mohinga is fish soup made with rice noodles, typically served as a hearty breakfast. It features a rich broth flavored with lemongrass, turmeric, and fish sauce, often garnish ...

''. Burmese ''mont'' are typically eaten with tea during breakfast or afternoon tea time. Each variety of ''mont'' is designated by a descriptive word or phrase that precedes or follows the word ''mont'', such as ''

htoe mont Htoe mont (; ) is a traditional Burmese dessert or '' mont''. The dessert is a glutinous rice cake cooked with raisins, cashews and coconut shavings, and is consistently prodded during the cooking process, lending it a texture similar to Turkish ...

'' () or ''

mont lone yay baw Mont lone yay baw (; ; also spelt mont lone yay paw) is a traditional Burmese dessert commonly associated with the Burmese New Year, Thingyan season. The dessert plays an important role in Burmese history as it is a traditional snack served during ...

'' (). The term ''mont'' has been borrowed into several regional languages, including into Shan as and into Jingpho as . In Burmese, the term ''mont'' is not limited to

Burmese cuisine Burmese cuisine encompasses the diverse regional culinary traditions of Myanmar, which have developed through longstanding agricultural practices, centuries of sociopolitical and economic change, and cross-cultural contact and trade with neighb ...

: it applies equally to items as varied as Western-style

bread Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...

s ( or ''paung mont''), Chinese

moon cake A mooncake () is a Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節). The festival is primarily about the harvest while a legend connects it to moon watching, and mooncakes are regarded as a delicacy. M ...

s ( or ''la mont''),

ice cream Ice cream is a frozen dessert typically made from milk or cream that has been flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as Chocolate, cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit, such as strawberries or peaches. Food ...

( or ''yay ge mont'') and tinned biscuits ( or ''mont thitta'').

Ingredients

Lower-amylose rice varieties are commonly used as a key ingredient in Burmese ''mont''. Sweet Burmese ''mont'' are generally less sweet than counterparts in other parts of Southeast Asia, instead deriving their natural sweetness from constituent ingredients (e.g., grated coconut, coconut milk, glutinous rice, etc.).

Varieties

There is a nearly endless variety of named dishes with the prefix or suffix ''mont''. What follows is a list of the most typical traditional varieties of ''mont''.

Noodles

Noodle dishes made with fresh

rice vermicelli Rice vermicelli is a thin form of rice noodle. It is sometimes referred to as "rice noodles" or "rice sticks", but should not be confused with cellophane noodles, a different Asian type of vermicelli made from mung bean starch or rice starch r ...

, which is called ''mont phat'' (), are typically prefixed with the term ''mont'', including: * () – savory

noodle soup Noodle soup refers to a variety of soups with noodles and other ingredients served in a light broth. Noodle soup is a common dish across East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Himalayan states of South Asia. Various types of noodles are used, such as ...

made in a fish broth * () – a variety of regional dishes throughout Myanmar that use ''mont phat'' * () - a noodle salad from Mandalay that uses thick round rice noodles

Savory snacks

* ''Apon'' () – Indian-style rice pancakes * (, ) –

curry puff A curry puff (; Jawi: ; ; , , ) is a snack of Southeast Asian origin. It is a small turnover containing a filling of curry, often of chicken and potatoes, in a fried or baked pastry shell. The consistency of the curry is quite thick to prev ...

* () – seasonal delicacy made with glutinous rice, coconut, peanuts, ginger, and sesame * () – stuffed savory crepe * () – steamed rice flour slivers sprinkled with roasted sesame seeds, salt, and coconut shavings * () or ''mont salin daung'' () – pancake made of rice flour and palm sugar batter * () – glutinous rice crisps * (, ) * () – rice flour griddle cake * () – pretzel-like snack made of rice and bean flour * (, ) – deep-fried

fish cracker A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fins and a hard skull, but lacking limbs with digits. Fish can be grouped into the more basal jawless fish and the more common jawed fis ...

s * (, ) – paper-thin crisp pancake of rice batter

Desserts

* ''Aung Bala'' () – rice pancake topped with syrup * (, ) – pancake made of rice flour, palm sugar, coconut chips, and peanuts, garnished with poppy seeds * ''Bi mont'' (, ) – fried turnover stuffed with a savory filling, similar to an

empanada An empanada is a type of baked or fried turnover (food), turnover consisting of pastry and stuffing, filling, common in Culture of Spain, Spain, other Southern European countries, North African countries, South Asian countries, Latin American c ...

* () – an Indian

sweetmeat Confectionery is the Art (skill), art of making confections, or sweet foods. Confections are items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates, although exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confections are divided into two bro ...

* () – a regional delicacy from

Pathein Pathein ( ; , ; , ), formerly called Bassein, is the largest city and the capital of the Ayeyarwady Region, Myanmar. It is located 190 km (120 mi) west of Yangon within Pathein Township on the bank of the Pathein River—a western branc ...

* (, ) – steamed

rice cake A rice cake may be any kind of food item made from rice that has been shaped, condensed, or otherwise combined into a single object. A wide variety of rice cakes exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten. Common variations include ...

similar to Chinese

fa gao Fa gao (), also called fat pan (發粄) by the Hakka, prosperity cake, fortune cake, Cantonese sponge cake, is a Chinese steamed, cupcake-like pastry. Because it is often characterized by a split top when cooked, it is often referred as Chinese ...

* (; ) – pudding made of glutinous rice, sugar, coconut and oil * () – steamed purple rice cakes colored with ''kauk hlaing ti'' blossoms * () * () – glutinous rice patty with coconut shavings * (; ) – folded pancake made with rice flour, palm sugar, and coconut, similar to Thai

khanom bueang Khanom Buang (, ), known as Thai crêpes or crispy pancakes in English. Kanom Bueang is an ancient Thai snack. It is a popular form of street food in Thailand. They resemble tacos and are usually first topped or filled with meringue, followed by ...

* () – jelly made with coconut milk * () – Burmese-style dairy desserts, similar to

ras malai Ras malai, also known as rasamalei, or roshmalai, is a dessert that originated in the Bengal region of Indian subcontinent. The dessert is called ''roshmalai'' in Bengali, ''ras malai'' in Hindi, and ''rasa malei'' in Odia. It is popular in In ...

* () – translucent rice pudding similar to

Karachi halwa Karachi halwa () is a chewy, glossy, and translucent Pakistani and Indian confection consisting of cornstarch, sugar, ghee, and water, flavored with cardamom, melon seed and occasionally almonds. It has a jelly-like texture, unlike traditional so ...

* () – puffed grains of early ripened glutinous rice congealed into a mass with palm sugar syrup, similar to Chinese

sachima Sachima ( zh, t=, p=Shāqímǎ) is a sweet snack in Chinese cuisine made of fluffy strands of fried batter bound together with a stiff sugar syrup. It originated in Manchuria and is now popular throughout China. It can also be found in Taiwan ...

* (, ) steamed rice cakes, similar to Indonesian

putu piring ''Putu piring'' ( Jawi: ) is a round-shaped steamed rice flour '' kueh'' (dessert) or sweet snack filled with palm sugar popular in Singapore. Commonly associated with Singaporean cuisine, it is usually made using stainless steel molds with a ...

* (; ) * () * () – steamed glutinous rice cake garnished with coconut shavings * () - a steamed golden rice cake similar to the bika ambon, introduced by the

Sino-Burmese Chinese Burmese, also Sino-Burmese or Tayoke (), are Burmese citizens of Han Chinese ethnicity. They are a group of overseas Chinese born or raised in Myanmar (Burma). Burmese Chinese are a well established ethnic group and are well represen ...

* () - a layered pudding introduced by the

* or () - a multi-layered jelly pudding introduced by the

* (; ) * (; ) or (; ) – small balls of boiled glutinous rice in palm sugar syrup * (, ) or ''mont gyo thwin'' () – rice flour strings, similar to Indian

jalebi ''Jalebi'' is a popular sweet snack in the Indian subcontinent, West Asia and some parts of Africa. It goes by many names, including ''jilapi'', ''zelepi'','' jilebi'', '' jilipi'', ''zulbia'', ''zoolbia'', ''jerry'', ''mushabak'', ''z'labia'' ...

* ''Mont kywe leit'' (, ) – glutinous rice and rice flour snack garnished with sesame seeds, fried garlic, and coconut shavings * (, ) – rice flour pudding sweetened with

jaggery Jaggery is a List of unrefined sweeteners, traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, North America, Central America, Brazil and Africa. It is a concentrated product of Sugarcane juice, cane jui ...

* () - Burmese-style

cendol Cendol is an iced sweet dessert that contains pandan-flavoured green rice flour jelly, coconut milk, and palm sugar syrup. It is popular in the Southeast Asian nations of Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Laos, Vietnam, Thai ...

* (, ) – glutinous rice donuts * (, ) * (; ) – steamed sweet rice dumplings with sweet fillings, similar to Chinese tangyuan * kyaw (; ) - fried sweet rice dumplings with sweet fillings, similar to Chinese

jian dui ''Jiandui'' or sesame balls are a type of fried Chinese pastry made from glutinous rice flour. The pastry is coated with sesame seeds on the outside and is crisp and chewy after immediately being cooked. Inside the pastry is a large hollow, cau ...

* (; ) – griddle cake of course rice, served with peas or jaggery * () – fine rice flour mixed with palm sugar boiled into a thick fudge * (; ) – steamed rice flour jelly * () – steamed

sticky rice Sticky may refer to: Adhesion *Adhesion, the tendency of dissimilar particles or surfaces to cling to one another *Sticky mat, an adhesive mat used in cleanrooms to lessen contamination from footwear *Sticky note, a generic term for a Post-it Note ...

dumplings, similar to Chinese

zongzi ''Zongzi'' () or simply ''zong'' () is a traditional Chinese rice dish made of glutinous rice stuffed with a range of fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves. Fillings can be either sweet, such as red bean paste, or savory, such as pork belly or ...

* ''Mont pya lu'' (, ) – toasted rice and sugar snack, similar to Filipino

espasol ''Espasol'' is a chewy and soft, cylinder-shaped Filipino rice cake. It is made from glutinous rice flour cooked in coconut milk and sweetened coconut strips and, afterwards, dusted or coated with toasted rice flour. Originating from the pro ...

* () – batter cake shaped like a honeycomb, made of rice flour with or without palm sugar syrup * () – spongy cake of rice flour and palm sugar batter shaped like a vespiary Mont Sein Poung

* (, ) – steamed rice cake * () – rice flour griddle cake * () – griddle cake of rice flour covered with coconut shreds, palm sugar syrup and folded * (; ) – fried sweet pancakes made from glutinous rice * () – glutinous rice flakes * () – Indian shortbread cookies * (; ) - steamed glutinous rice baked with coconut milk (also called ) * () – sago with coconut milk * (; ) – confection of roasted glutinous rice flour mixed with sugar and coconut shreds * (, ) – a cake made with grated

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...

, similar to Filipino

cassava cake Cassava cake is a traditional Philippine cuisine, Filipino moist cake made from grated cassava, coconut milk, and condensed milk with a custard layer on top. It is a very popular dish in the Philippines, where it is commonly eaten for merienda ...

* ''Samai'' (စမိုင်) - vermicelli in a sweetened milk and cream concoction, similar to Bengali ''shemai'' * () –

semolina Semolina is the name given to roughly milled durum wheat mainly used in making pasta and sweet puddings. The term ''semolina'' is also used to designate coarse millings of other varieties of wheat, and sometimes other grains (such as rice or ma ...

pudding cake made with sugar, coconut, and butter * () – a baked sweet, made from millet, raisins, coconut and butter * () * (. ) – brown glutinous rice cake sweetened with jaggery * (; ) * () –

sago Sago () is a starch extracted from the pith, or spongy core tissue, of various tropical palm stems, especially those of ''Metroxylon sagu''. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Maluku Islands, where it is c ...

pudding sweetened with coconut milk and condensed milk

References