Tea leaves fermented in bamboo tubes and chewed with salt in the northern Thai hills. Northern tea was grown for chewing rather than drinking, and miang was both a currency of hospitality and a hill-village trade good.
It is a months-long anaerobic ferment under weight in sealed bamboo, and the tube and the resident culture are the method; a jar on a counter is a different process.
What goes into it
- young tea leaves
- bamboo tubes or lined baskets
- salt, ginger and roasted coconut to serve
How it is made
Young leaves are steamed briefly to stop them oxidising, cooled, then packed hard into bamboo tubes or leaf-lined baskets, weighted and sealed so no air reaches them. Lactic bacteria sour them over months. They are taken out, wrapped around salt and aromatics, and chewed rather than swallowed whole.
How long it takes: three months to a year in the sealed tube
How it is eaten
A leaf wrapped around salt, roasted coconut, ginger and peanut, chewed after a meal or offered to a guest.
History
Northern Thailand’s tea was grown for chewing rather than drinking; miang was a currency of hospitality and a hill-village trade good.
Frequently asked questions
What is Miang?
Miang is a fermented & pickled from Thailand: tea leaves fermented in bamboo tubes and chewed with salt in the northern hills. Northern Thailand’s tea was grown for chewing rather than drinking; miang was a currency of hospitality and a hill-village trade good.
How is Miang made?
Young leaves are steamed briefly to stop them oxidising, cooled, then packed hard into bamboo tubes or leaf-lined baskets, weighted and sealed so no air reaches them. Lactic bacteria sour them over months. They are taken out, wrapped around salt and aromatics, and chewed rather than swallowed whole. It takes three months to a year in the sealed tube.
Can I make Miang at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It is a months-long anaerobic ferment under weight in sealed bamboo, and the tube and the resident culture are the method; a jar on a counter is a different process.
What goes into Miang?
Young tea leaves, bamboo tubes or lined baskets, salt, ginger and roasted coconut to serve.
How is Miang eaten?
A leaf wrapped around salt, roasted coconut, ginger and peanut, chewed after a meal or offered to a guest.
