Well before daybreak, young girls in Yangon are working hard filleting a haul of freshwater fish from the Ayeyarwady River.

I’m part way through editing a vast amount of food images from Yangon. The shot above was the first of a couple of thousand, and was taken almost the moment I stepped outside the hotel door. It seemed to be a good omen.

Riding on a wave of optimism and investment, Yangon is flourishing. Since my last visit just over a year ago, the markets have become even more vibrant and crowded, and the street food and restaurant scene has grown.

It’s a great city for a culinary adventure, and even better if you love documenting all things foodie with your camera. Everywhere you turn there is a food shot wanting to be captured. For sheer visual excitement, it knocks Bangkok into the shadows.

Earlier this month I spent five days snapping market scenes and street food, and I might add, munching my way through an incredible variety of Myanmar cuisine. Delights included regional Shan, Kachin, and Rakhine dishes.

Myanmar has the potential to become renowned for its cuisine, which at the moment is relatively unknown, and Yangon to be a truly great food city.

There’s a bit of work to do though. Street food hygiene is pretty diabolical and many traditional dishes use a ridiculous amount of oil, but for taste and sheer variety, it’s a fascinating place to eat your way around. There is simply no better way to discover a city and its culture than through its food.

I’ll try and post a few more shots over the weekend. I might just add that the live yoghurt made in the earthenware pots below is superb. In fact I bought some of the pots and have been making it at home in this way since I returned. It’s not quite on a par with the outstanding buffalo curd yoghurt you get at the roadside in Sri Lanka though…

Sometimes it’s not always good to know what is going on around you; especially in you are a chicken in Yangon.