Thai cuisine is known for its balance of five
fundamental flavors in each dish or the overall meal -
hot (spicy), sour, sweet, salty and bitter (optional).
Although popularly considered as a single cuisine, Thai
food is really better described as four regional
cuisines corresponding to the four main regions of the
country: Northern, Northeastern (or Isan), Central and
Southern. Southern curries, for example, tend to contain
coconut milk and fresh turmeric, while northeastern
dishes often include lime juice. Thai cuisine has been
greatly influenced by its neighbors, especially India,
China, Malaysia, Laos. Many dishes are in fact Chinese
dishes adopted to local tastes.
Influence and Western popularity
Thai food is known for its enthusiastic use of fresh
(rather than dried) herbs and spices as well as fish
sauce. Because of these it's not
surprising to hear news of a
london restaurant or an American diner having
sections in their menus dedicated to Thai dishes.
Thai food is popular in many Western countries
especially in Australia, New Zealand, some countries in
Europe such as the United Kingdom, as well as the United
States, and Canada.
Serving
Instead of a single main course with side dishes found
in Western cuisine, a Thai full meal typically consists
of either a single dish or rice khao (Thai: ข้าว) with
many complementary dishes served concurrently.
Rice is a staple component of Thai cuisine, as it is of
most Asian cuisines. The highly prized, sweet-smelling
jasmine rice is indigenous to Thailand. This naturally
aromatic long-grained rice grows in abundance in the
verdant patchwork of paddy fields that blanket
Thailand's central plains. Steamed rice is accompanied
by highly aromatic curries, stir-frys and other dishes,
incorporating sometimes large quantities of chillies,
lime juice and lemon grass. Curries, stir-frys and
others may be poured onto the rice creating a single
dish called khao rad gang (Thai: ข้าวราดแกง), a popular
meal when time is limited. Sticky rice khao neow (Thai:
ข้าวเหนียว) is a unique variety of rice that contains an
unusual balance of the starches present in all rice,
causing it to cook up to a sticky texture. It is the
daily bread of Laos and substitutes ordinary rice in
rural Northern and Northeastern Thai cuisine, where Lao
cultural influence is strong.
Noodles, known throughout parts of Southeast Asia by the
Chinese name kwaytiow, are popular as well but usually
come as a single dish, like the stir-fried Pad Thai
(Thai: ผัดไทย) or noodle soups. Many Chinese cuisine are
adapted to suit Thai taste, such as khuaytiow rue, a
sour and spicy rice noodle soup.
There is a uniquely Thai dish called nam prik (Thai:
น้ำพริก) which refers to a chile sauce or paste. Each
region has its own special versions. It is prepared by
crushing together chillies with various ingredients such
as garlic and shrimp paste using a mortar and pestle. It
is then often served with vegetables such as cucumbers,
cabbage and yard-long beans, either raw or blanched. The
vegetables are dipped into the sauce and eaten with
rice. Nam prik may also be simply eaten alone with rice
or, in a bit of Thai and Western fusion, spread on
toast.
Thai food is generally eaten with a fork and a spoon.
Chopsticks are used rarely, primarily for the
consumption of noodle soups. The fork, held in the left
hand, is used to shovel food into the spoon. However, it
is common practice for Thais and hill tribe peoples in
the North and Northeast to eat sticky rice with their
right hands by making it into balls that are dipped into
side dishes and eaten. Thai-Muslims also frequently eat
meals with only their right hands.
Often Thai food is served with a variety of spicy
condiments to embolden dishes. This can range from dried
chili pieces, or sliced chili peppers in rice vinegar,
to a spicy chili sauce such as the nam prik mentioned
above.
Famous dishes
Many Thai dishes are familiar in the West. In many
dishes below, different kinds of protein can be chosen
as the ingredient, such as beef, chicken, pork, tofu or
seafood.
* Pad Thai (Thai: ผัดไท) - rice noodles pan fried
with fish sauce, sugar, lime juice or tamarind pulp,
chopped peanuts, and egg combined with chicken, seafood,
and tofu
* Rad na (Thai: ราดหน้า) - wide rice noodles in
gravy, with beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, or seafood.
(Originally from China)
* Khao pad naem (Thai: ข้าวผัดแหนม) - fried rice
with fermented sausage (typically from the Northeast)
* Pad see ew (Thai: ผัดซีอิ๊ว) - noodles stir-fried
with see ew dum (thick soy sauce) and nahm plah (fish
sauce) and pork or chicken.
* Pad kee mao (Thai: ผัดขี้เมา) - noodles stir-fried
with Thai basil
* Khao khluk kapi (Thai: ข้าวคลุกกะปิ) - rice
stir-fried with shrimp paste, served with sweeten pork
and vegetables.
* Khanom chin namya (Thai: ขนมจีนน้ำยา) - round
boiled rice noodles topped with various curry sauces and
eaten with fresh leaves and vegetables.
* Khao soi (Thai: ข้าวซอย) - crispy wheat noodles in
sweet chicken curry soup (a Northern dish)
* Khao pad gai (Thai: ข้าวผัดไก่) - fried rice with
chicken
* Kaphrao gai (Thai: กระเพราไก่) - minced chicken in
sauce made up of a combination of hot green chilies,
garlic, and basil
* Gai himaphan (Thai: ไก่หิมพานต์) - juicy chunks of
chicken with cashew nuts and chilies
Thai
Food
