Than Than Myint
Southeast Asian Studies Program, Chulalongkorn University
The aim of this presentation is to explain how and where the emerald green tea leaves of Myanmar originated. The legends and sayings regarding green tea leaves in various forms have become part of the tradition and culture of the Myanmar people. “La-phet” is used in both wedding and ordination ceremonies and also as an offering to the Nat spirits. The crucial role of green tea leaves, which allows the Myanmar people from all walks of life to live in harmony, dates from the period of the Myanmar Kings.
(Presented in the 2012 Asian Food Heritage Forum: Harmonizing Culture , Technology and Industry, 20-21 August 2012, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Chulalongkorn University, Chinese Dietary Culture Institute, Zhejiang Gongshang University, and Ministry of Culture, Thailand)