Thai Food

The one common ingredient you will find in the majority of Thai food dishes is rice. It is served with each meal, as a snack, and is even included in some desserts. Other basic ingredients are garlic, chilies, lime juice, lemongrass, fresh coriander leaf, fermented fish sauce, or shrimp paste, which adds a salty flavor. There is a distinct taste to this ethnic cuisine that diners often find difficult to pinpoint. Perhaps it comes from the use of seasonings we westerners don't use often, such as galingale, ground peanuts, tamarind, turmeric, ginger, and coconut milk. Browsing through an open air market shoppers may find lotus stems along side bamboo shoots and bean sprouts. Unknown fruits like durians, longans, rambutans, and mangosteens, share space with guavas and bananas. Lamb and veal are seldom found, and pork is more popular than beef. Delving into a world only seen on Fear Factor, one might also happen upon crickets, silkworm, and red ant larvae.

History Of Thai Food

Thai cuisine bears the influence of Chinese Indian food. Most notable similarities are the hot and spicy dishes of Szechaun and the curries from India. In bygone days, the food was cooked with a minimal amount of fat. Seafood was preferred over meat. Minimum portions of foods cooked lightly to retain their crunch and nutritional value was the norm.

Regional Cooking

Central - A touch of sweetness and presentation is important. Carved produce is frequently used as table decoration. Three to five dishes usually accompany the staple rice dish. Typically, they are fried meats with chili sauce, curries, and vegetable soups.

Northern - Northern Thai food encompasses the bounty of locally available ingredients. Sticky rice and vegetables are the sides for pork and chicken. Salty tastes predominate. Another favored delicacy is Naem- a fermented minced pork sausage wrapped in a banana leaf.

Southern - Spicy food reigns supreme in the south. Gang (spiced soup or curry) is the local favorite. Other specialties are sataw, a green pod with green berries. Thinly sliced strawberries find their way into gangs with meat and chilies or served with vegetables boiled in coconut milk.

North-Eastern - This is where some of the oddest dishes by western standards are found. Locals prefer their meat fried, and also take a liking to frog, lizard, snake, large red ants, rice field rats, and insects. Definitely not for the weak stomach.