What is Pickled Tea and How is it Used in a Salad?
In the Western world, people are used to the practice of tea drinking. At the same time, pickling foods has been done for thousands of years. So “pickled tea” is really just a two plus two situation. However, for many people, the act of eating tea products isn’t commonplace. With all the reported health benefits, it’s a wonder why not. So what is pickled tea, and how is it used in a salad?
In the country of Myanmar, tea leaves are fermented thus producing pickled tea. After an initial steaming, the leaves effectively develop in their own moisture, typically for 3 to 4 months, but sometimes up to 6. “The completion of fermentation is evident when the pulp changes from green to golden green,” says a 2015 article, entered into the Journal of Ethnic Food, “the leaves soften, and acidity is reduced.”
In fact, by virtue of a natural steaming process, there is “increased production of phenols… [allowing] particular fermenting microbes to grow, while other potentially unwanted microbes cannot grow.”
The end result of this unique and precise concoction of tea leave and microbes is the delicious, healthy treat known as laphet, or lahpet. From this juicy substance, the people of Myanmar add lentils, garlic, sesame, peanuts, tomatoes and chilies, amongst other ingredients, thus creating the wildly famous lahpet thoke, a pickled tea leaf salad.
When creating your own salad, you unfortunately don’t have access to the Burmese mountains. Yet, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a way to bring that flavour to you. Mimi’s Laphet Tea Dressing, the first saucy tea dressing, combines the wonderfully natural and powerful flavour profile of pickled tea with the convenience and familiarity of a bottled dressing.
With a pickled tea dressing, you can of course make a pickled tea leaves salad. There are obviously customs, but no concrete rules; in fact, in Myanmar it’s expected for everyone to create their own unique styles of tea leaf salad. Whether you choose to follow traditional recipes by the book, or build your own creations. Mimi’s Laphet Tea Dressing allows you to add a splash of authenticity, a rich and scrumptious addition to any plate.
For the Burmese, pickled tea leaf salad is engrained in culture. If ever you visit, you will surely be offered the yummy indulgence at every corner. As well as gracious hosts offering you a bite, the food is also used in ceremonies and rituals. In your own kitchen, you might find it equally divine.
Whatever ingredients you add to a salad, and whichever great salad tips you follow, a pickled tea salad is a renowned dish, packed with flavour and the natural anti-inflammatory properties of green tea. So, when using a pickled tea dressing, the possibilities are truly endless!
Mimi’s Laphet is aware of the occasionally need to spruce up a salad, and what better way than a tasty dressing that actually has 53.2% less calories and 89.1% less sugar than comparable balsamic vinegar products. Natural, plant based and with no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, Mimi’s Pickled Tea Salad Dressing is 2,000 years of tea pickling tradition in a bottle.
