Tab delimited text file import into PHPMyAdmin

In the Import screen in phpMyAdmin, select CSV under Format. Under the "Format-Specific Options:" that appears, in the "Columns Separated With" box try entering a backslash and a "t" character like this: \ to indicate a tab character.

If you are importing data to a table that already contains data, it may be a good idea to make a backup of the existing table first.