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. Laphet 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 the West, 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 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' ()
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.