Thanaka, longyis and ngapi

As the time slowly approaches for my trip I tend to find more and more memories surfacing of things my mother, aunts and uncles told me about from Burma. I put a number of pictures into the gallery under the not-very-helpful title “Before leaving” (regularly updated – have a look!) but there are three words that have surfaced recently which are worth more explanation.

Thanaka is a combination sunscreen and cosmetic used widely in Burma, and I believe virtually nowhere else in the world. Usually applied to the face, especially the cheeks, thanaka is used by women and children, and – though to a lesser extent – men. Women in particular tend to make it very decorative with delicate patterns reminiscent of the use of henna in other cultures. It’s made, unsurprisingly, from the bark of the thanaka tree which is simply ground up to a powder with water and then kept as a paste. Here is a page full of photos of people wearing thanaka.

The Longyi is the ubiquitous loin-cloth (sometimes incorrectly referred to as a saree) which is worn by men, women and children. I remember my mother showing me how to tie it when I was a child. It’s a very simple and versatile garment – essentially just a tube you step in. If you want to swim, or do something energetic like climbing a tree, you hitch up the middle bit between your legs and tuck it into the waistband to make something like a pair of shorts. We always used to say this (or the middle-eastern equivalent) was the origin of the biblical phrase “to gird up one’s loins”. I’d really like to buy one or two when I go, although doubtless there’s nothing that brands you more as a tourist than wearing one as a westerner when you’re actually there! There’s even a Facebook page called Tourists wearing Longyis which is what I really don’t want to look like! Here are some pictures of what they should look like.

Ngapi is the Burmese version of the fermented prawn cooking sauce used throughout South-East Asia. However, ngapi is usually made with fish rather than prawns and has added chilli and salt to create a very pungent flavour. It’s instantly recognisable as a taste and indeed sometimes it’s eaten just as it is, not as a cooking ingredient. In the 1970s, when I visited my oldest aunt, Alice, who was closer in age to my grandmother than to my mother, she taught me some Burmese recipes which I still use today. Alice had a jar of ngapi which the had brought with her when she left Burma in the late 1940s and had kept going ever since! Sadly, when she moved to Winchester she threw it out, otherwise I would have gladly inherited it. Find out more