Htamanè ( my, ထမနဲ, , mnw, ယိုဟ်သ္ၚု,also spelt htamane) is a

glutinous rice Glutinous rice (''Oryza sativa var. glutinosa''; also called sticky rice, sweet rice or waxy rice) is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, and the northeastern regions of South Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amylose ...

-based savory snack, and a seasonal festive delicacy in

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

. The traditional delicacy is ceremonially prepared around and on the full moon day of

Tabodwe Tabodwe ( my, တပို့တွဲ) is the eleventh month of the traditional Burmese calendar. Festivals and observances *Full moon of Tabodwe **Harvest Festival () **Mon National Day Rakhine tug of war festival, Yatha Hswe Pwe. *Pagoda fes ...

(), the 11th lunar month on the

traditional Burmese calendar A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

(roughly in February), just as the cool season ends. Some pagodas and monasteries, including the

Shwedagon Pagoda The Shwedagon Pagoda (, ); mnw, ကျာ်ဒဂုၚ်; officially named ''Shwedagon Zedi Daw'' ( my, ရွှေတိဂုံစေတီတော်, , ) and also known as the Great Dagon Pagoda and the Golden Pagoda is a gilded stupa ...

, hold htamane-making competitions ().

Preparation

The preparation begins with washing and soaking white and purple (nga cheik) glutinous rice. In a giant wide wok on a low stove, the glutinous rice is kneaded, crushed and boiled with water and ground nut oil until it becomes a thick blackish grey paste. The wok is lowered from the stove on to a small wooden block to hold it. Once there, the mixing process which is the main feature of making Htamanè begins. Typically, three people (almost always stout men) are involved in the mixing process. Two men each with giant wooden spatulas resembling rowing paddles begin to mix the glutinous dough while a third coordinates the two spatulas, often by holding on to it near the pot. Towards the end of the mixing process, toasted sesame seeds, peanut, fried ginger, ground nut oil and fried coconut shavings are added to the wok. These ingredients become evenly mixed with the dough paste. Once a batch of Htamanè has been prepared, more fried coconut shavings, peanuts and sesame seeds are added as garnishes. Making htamanè

''Htamanè'' is usually made at

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

and specialized shops to accommodate the quantity and space requirements. A small portion is taken first as an offering to the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

as per custom and then it is usually sent around in the neighbourhood, to family and friends as a festival gift. The taste of Htamane is Sweet.

Preparation

References

See also