Perhaps the most famed Burmese food is laphet -- fermented tea leaves, an eclectic mix of flavors and textures that includes soft, pickled tea leaves, crisp, roasted peanuts and other crunchy beans, toasted sesame seeds, fried garlic and, if you like, dried shrimp and chopped tomato. The dish is versatile. It can be a snack, an appetizer or, coupled with a plate of rice, a meal.
Historically, lahpet was an ancient symbolic peace offering that was exchanged and consumed after settling a dispute between warring kingdoms. Letting each person customize his or her salad toppings, sounds like a perfectly democratic way to stop an argument! That way everyone is at least somewhat satisfied in the end.
It’s also considered a stimulant: the Burmese says that eating too much lephet thoke can prevent sleeping.