The photo is of food from Thai Orchid, a Thai restaurant in Addison where I ate with a group of friends this evening. I had Mussaman curry with chicken which was very tasty and came in a beautiful leaf-shaped bowl. I asked for a level two out of five levels of spiciness. I don’t think I’ve every had any really spicy Thai food. Maybe I should try it. My best experience with Thai food was traveling in Phuket, Thailand with a dear friend from high school whose daughter-in-law Yam just happens to be Thai. Yam made all our hotel and dinner reservations because when a Thai voice is heard, it often means cheaper prices or better service. Phuket is on the coast, so we often ate at outdoor cafes, and the food was delicious. My friend and I even took a Thai cooking class at the five-star hotel where we stayed. Mussaman curry was one of the things we prepared. Let’s learn more about Thai cuisine.
According to Wikipedia, Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components and a spicy edge. Australian chef David Thompson — an expert on Thai food — observed that unlike many other cuisines Thai cooking is "about the juggling of disparate elements to create a harmonious finish. Like a complex musical chord, it's got to have a smooth surface, but it doesn't matter what's happening underneath. Simplicity isn't the dictum here at all."
Traditional Thai cuisine loosely falls into four categories: tom (boiled dishes), yam (spicy salads), tam (pounded foods) and gaeng (curries). Deep-fries, stir-fries and steamed dishes derive from Chinese cooking.
In 2017, seven Thai dishes appeared on a list of the "World's 50 Best Foods," an online poll of 35,000 people worldwide by CNN Travel. Thailand had more dishes on the list than any other country. They were: tom yam goong (4th), pad thai (5th), som tam (6th), massaman curry (10th), green curry (19th), Thai fried rice (24th) and nam tok mu (36th).
Historical influences
Thai cuisine and the culinary traditions and cuisines of Thailand's neighbors — especially India, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia — have mutually influenced one another over the course of many centuries.
According to the Thai monk Venerable Buddhadasa Bhikku's writing, “India's Benevolence to Thailand,” Thai cuisine was influenced by Indian cuisine. He wrote that Thai people learned how to use spices in their food in various ways from Indians. Thais also obtained the methods of making herbal medicines from the Indians. Some plants — like sarabhi of the family Guttiferae, panika or harsinghar, phikun or Mimusops elengi and bunnak or the rose chestnut etc. — were brought from India. According to the book “Mae Krua Hua Pa” first published in 1908 by Lady Plian Bhaskarawongse, she found that Thai cuisine had had a strong gastronomical cultural line from Sukhothai (1238–1448) through Ayuttthaya (1351–1767) and Thonburi period (1767–1782) vis-à-vis Siamese governmental officers' daily routines such as royal cooking and their related cousins. Notedly, Thai food during Thonburi period tended to be more similar to Ayutthaya period, except the addition of Chinese food resulted from her prosperous international trade.
Western influences, starting in 1511 when the first diplomatic mission from the Portuguese arrived at the court of Ayutthaya, have created dishes such as foi thong, the Thai adaptation of the Portuguese fios de ovos, and sangkhaya, where coconut milk replaces cow's milk in making a custard. These dishes were said to have been brought to Thailand in the 17th century by Maria Guyomar de Pinha, a woman of mixed Japanese-Portuguese-Bengali ancestry who was born in Ayutthaya and became the wife of Constantine Phaulkon, a Greek adviser to King Narai. The most notable influence from the West must be the introduction of the chili pepper from the Americas in the 16th or 17th century. It, along with rice, are now two of the most important ingredients in Thai cuisine. During the Columbian Exchange, Portuguese and Spanish ships brought new foodstuffs from the Americas including tomatoes, corn, papaya, pea eggplants, pineapple, pumpkins, culantro, cashews and peanuts.
Regional variations
Regional variations tend to correlate to neighboring states — often sharing the same cultural background and ethnicity on both sides of the border — as well as climate and geography. Northern Thai cuisine shares dishes with Shan State in Burma, northern Laos and also with Yunnan Province in China, whereas the cuisine of Isan or northeastern Thailand is similar to that of Southern Laos, and is also influenced by Khmer cuisine from Cambodia to its south and by Vietnamese cuisine to its east. Southern Thailand — with many dishes that contain liberal amounts of coconut milk and fresh turmeric — has that in common with Indian, Malaysian and Indonesian cuisine.
Thai cuisine is more accurately described as five regional cuisines, corresponding to the five main regions of Thailand:
Bangkok: cuisine of the Bangkok metropolitan area, with Teochew and Portuguese influences. In addition, as a capital city, Bangkok cuisine is sometimes influenced by more dedicated royal cuisine. Tastes and looks of food in Bangkok have changed somewhat over time as they have been influenced by other cuisines such as Asian, European or Western countries.
Central Thai: cuisine of the flat and wet central rice-growing plains, site of the former Thai kingdoms of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya, and the Dvaravati culture of the Mon people from before the arrival of Siamese in the area. Coconut milk is one of major ingredients used in Central Thai cuisine.
Isan or northeastern Thai: cuisine of the more arid Khorat Plateau, similar in culture to Laos and also influenced by Khmer cuisine.
Northern Thai: cuisine of the cooler valleys and forested mountains of the Thai highlands, once ruled by the former Lanna Kingdom and home of Lannaese, the majority of northern Thailand. This cuisine shares many ingredients with Isan.
Southern Thai: cuisine of the Kra Isthmus which is bordered on two sides by tropical seas, with its many islands and including the ethnic Malay, former Sultanate of Pattani in the deep south. The complex curries, food preparation techniques and usage of chilis and spices in Southern Thai cuisine form a great influence on the whole cuisine in general.
Royal cuisine
In addition to these regional cuisines, there is also Thai royal cuisine which can trace its history back to the cosmopolitan palace cuisine of the Ayutthaya Kingdom (1351–1767 CE). Its refinement, cooking techniques, presentation and use of ingredients were of great influence to the cuisine of the central Thai plains. Thai royal cuisine has been influenced by the Khmer royal cuisine through the Khmer palace cooks brought to the Ayutthaya Kingdom during its conquests of the Khmer Empire. Thai royal cuisine has become very well-known from the Rattanakosin Era onwards.
Typically, Thai royal cuisine has basic characteristics that are close to the basic food prepared by general people. However, Thai royal cuisine focuses on the freshness of seasonal products. Other than that, it is crucial that the way in which Thai royal food is cooked should be complex and delicate.
La Loubère, an envoy from France during the reign of King Narai, recorded that the food at the court was generally similar to villager food. Ways that make Thai royal cuisine different food was the beautiful presentation. For example, they served fish and chicken with the bones removed, and the vegetables were served in bite-sized portions. In addition, if beef is used, it should be tenderloin only.
There are many types of Thai royal cuisine such as ranchuan curry, nam phrik long rue, matsaman curry, rice in jasmine-flavored iced water or khao chae, spicy salad, fruit and carved vegetables.
Thai Chef McDang — himself descended from the royal family — asserts that the difference between royal Thai cuisine and regular Thai cuisine is fiction. He maintains that the only difference between the food of the palace and that of the common people is the former's elaborate presentation and better ingredients.
Serving
Thai food was traditionally eaten with the hand while seated on mats or carpets on the floor or coffee table in upper middle-class families, customs still found in more traditional households. Today, however, most Thais eat with a fork and spoon. Tables and chairs were introduced as part of a broader Westernization drive during the reign of King Mongkut, Rama IV. The fork and spoon were introduced by King Chulalongkorn after his return from a tour of Europe in 1897 CE.
Important to Thai dining is the practice of khluk, mixing the flavors and textures of different dishes with the rice from one's plate. The food is pushed by the fork, held in the left hand, into the spoon held in the right hand, which is then brought to the mouth. A traditional ceramic spoon is sometimes used for soup, and knives are not generally used at the table. It is common practice for both the Thais and the hill tribe peoples who live in Lanna and Isan to use sticky rice as an edible implement by shaping it into small, and sometimes flattened, balls by hand — and only the right hand by custom — which are then dipped into side dishes and eaten.
Chopsticks were foreign utensils to most ethnic groups in Thailand with the exception of the Thai Chinese and a few other cultures such as the Akha people, who are recent arrivals from Yunnan Province, China. Traditionally, the majority of ethnic Thai people ate with their hands like the people of India. Chopsticks are mainly used in Thailand for eating Chinese-style noodle soups or at Chinese, Japanese or Korean restaurants. Stir-fried noodle dishes such as pad Thai, and curry-noodle dishes such as khanom chin nam ngiao, are also eaten with a fork and spoon in the Thai fashion.
Thai meals typically consist of rice — khao in Thai — with many complementary dishes shared by all. The dishes are all served at the same time, including the soups, and it is also customary to provide more dishes than there are guests at a table. A Thai family meal would normally consist of rice with several dishes which should form a harmonious contrast of flavors and textures as well as preparation methods. Traditionally, a meal would have at least five elements: a dip or relish for raw or cooked vegetables — khrueang chim — is the most crucial component of any Thai meal. Khrueang chim — considered a building block of Thai food by Chef McDang — may come in the form of a spicy chili sauce or relish called nam phrik which is made of raw or cooked chilies and other ingredients which are then mashed together or a type of dip enriched with coconut milk called lon. The other elements would include a clear soup (perhaps a spicy tom yam or a mellow tom chuet), a curry or stew (essentially any dish identified with the kaeng prefix), a deep-fried dish and a stir-fried dish of meat, fish, seafood or vegetables.
In most Thai restaurants, diners will have access to a selection of Thai sauces or nam chim and condiments, either brought to the table by wait staff or presented at the table in small containers. These may include phrik nam pla/nam pla phrik (fish sauce, lime juice, chopped chilies and garlic), dried chili flakes, sweet chili sauce, sliced chili peppers in rice vinegar, Sriracha sauce and even sugar. With certain dishes, such as khao kha mu or pork trotter stewed in soy sauce and served with rice, whole Thai peppers and raw garlic are served in addition to the sour chili sauce. Cucumber is sometimes eaten to cool the mouth with particularly spicy dishes. They often feature as a garnish, especially with one-dish meals. The plain rice, sticky rice or the khanom chin or Thai rice noodles served alongside a spicy Thai curry or stir fry tends to counteract the spiciness.
When time is limited or when eating alone, single dishes such as fried rice or noodle soups are quick and filling. An alternative is to have one or smaller helpings of curry, stir fries and other dishes served together on one plate with a portion of rice. This style of serving food is called khao rat kaeng (lit., "rice covered with curry") or for short khao kaeng (lit., "rice curry"). Eateries and shops that specialize in pre-made food are the usual place to go to for having a meal this way. These venues have a large display showing the different dishes one can choose. When placing orders at these places, Thais will state if they want their food served as separate dishes or together on one plate with rice or rat khao. Very often, regular restaurants will also feature a selection of freshly made "rice curry" dishes on their menu for single customers.
Ingredients
Thai cuisine as a whole features many different ingredients and ways of preparing food. Thai chef McDang characterizes Thai food as having "intricacy, attention to detail, texture, color and taste.”
Thai food is known for its enthusiastic use of fresh — rather than dried — herbs and spices. Common flavors in Thai food come from garlic, galangal, coriander/cilantro, lemongrass, shallots, pepper, kaffir lime leaves, shrimp paste, fish sauce and chilis. Palm sugar — made from the sap of certain Borassus palms — is used to sweeten dishes while lime and tamarind contribute sour notes. Meats used in Thai cuisine are usually pork and chicken, and also duck, beef and water buffalo. Goat, lamb and mutton are rarely eaten except by Muslim Thais in Southern Thailand. Game — such as wild boar, deer and wild birds — are now less common due to loss of habitat, the introduction of modern methods of intensive animal farming in the 1960s and the rise of agribusinesses, such as Thai Charoen Pokphand Foods, in the 1980s. Traditionally, fish, crustaceans and shellfish play an important role in the diet of Thai people. In 2006 the per capita consumption of fish was 33.6 kg. Anna Leonowens of “The King and I” fame observed in her book “The English Governess at the Siamese Court” in 1870:
"The stream is rich in fish of excellent quality and flavor, such as is found in most of the great rivers of Asia; and is especially noted for its platoo, a kind of sardine, so abundant and cheap that it forms a common seasoning to the laborer's bowl of rice."
Freshwater varieties come from the many rivers, lakes, ponds and paddy fields inland, and seafood from the tropical seas of the southern half of the country. Some species, such as the giant river prawn, need brackish water as juveniles but live out their lives in freshwater once mature. Aquaculture of species such as Nile tilapia, catfish, tiger prawns and blood cockles now generates a large portion of the seafood sold in and exported from Thailand.
Rice, noodles and starches
Like most other Asian cuisines, rice is the staple grain of Thai cuisine. According to Thai food expert McDang, rice is the first and most important part of any meal, and the words for rice and food are the same: khao. As in many other rice eating cultures, to say "eat rice" — in Thai "kin khao"; pronounced as "gin cow" — means to eat food. Rice is such an integral part of the diet that a common Thai greeting is "kin khao reu yang?" which literally translates as "Have you eaten rice yet?"
Thai farmers historically have cultivated tens of thousands of rice varieties. The traditional recipe for a rice dish could include as many as 30 varieties of rice. That number has been drastically reduced due to genetic modifications.
Non-glutinous rice (Oryza sativa) is called khao chao (lit., "royal rice"). One type, which is indigenous to Thailand, is the highly prized, sweet-smelling jasmine rice or khao hom mali. This naturally aromatic long-grained rice grows in abundance in the patchwork of paddy fields that blanket Thailand's central plains. Once the rice is steamed or cooked, it is called khao suai — lit., "beautiful rice." Non-glutinous rice is used for making fried rice dishes and for congee of which there are three main varieties: khao tom (a thin rice soup, most often with minced pork or fish), khao tom kui (a thick, unflavored rice porridge that is served with side dishes) or chok (a thick rice porridge that is flavored with broth and minced meat).
Other varieties of rice eaten in Thailand include sticky rice or khao niao, a unique variety of rice which contains an unusual balance of the starches present in all rice, causing it to cook up to a sticky texture. Thai Red Cargo rice — an unpolished long grain rice with an outer deep reddish-brown color and a white center — has a nutty taste and slightly chewy compared to the soft and gummy texture of jasmine rice. Only the husks of the red rice grains are removed which allows it to retain all its nutrients and vitamins, but unlike brown rice, its red color comes from antioxidants in the bran. Black sticky rice is a type of sticky rice with a deep purple-red color that may appear black. Another unpolished grain, black sticky rice has a rich nutty flavor that is most often used in desserts.
Noodles are usually made from either rice flour, wheat flour or mung bean flour. Khanom chin is fresh rice vermicelli made from fermented rice and eaten with spicy curries such as green chicken curry or khanom chin kaeng khiao wan kai or with salads such as som tam. Other rice noodles — adapted from Chinese cuisine to suit Thai taste — are called kuaitiao in Thailand and come in three varieties: sen yai or wide flat noodles, sen lek or thin flat rice noodles and sen mi, also known as rice vermicelli in the West, or round and thin noodles. Bami is made from egg and wheat flour and usually sold fresh. They are similar to the Teochew mee pok noodle dish. Wun sen — called cellophane noodles or glass noodles in English — are extremely thin noodles made from mung bean flour which are sold dried. Thai noodle dishes — whether stir fried like phat Thai or in the form of a noodle soup — usually come as an individual serving and are not meant to be shared and eaten communally.
Rice flour or paeng khao chao and tapioca flour or paeng man sampalang are often used in desserts or as thickening agents.
Pastes and sauces
An ingredient found in many Thai dishes and used in every region of the country is nam pla, a clear fish sauce that is very aromatic. Fish sauce is a staple ingredient in Thai cuisine and imparts a unique character to Thai food. Fish sauce is prepared with fermented fish that is made into a fragrant condiment and provides a salty flavor. There are many varieties of fish sauce and many variations in the way it is prepared. Some fish may be fermented with shrimp or spices. Another type of sauce made from fermented fish is pla ra. It is more pungent than nam pla, and, in contrast to nam pla, which is a clear liquid, pla ra is opaque and often contains pieces of fish. To add this sauce to a som tam or spicy papaya salad is a matter of choice. Kapi, Thai shrimp paste, is a combination of fermented ground shrimp and salt. It is used in the famous chili paste called nam phrik kapi, in rice dishes such as khao khluk kapi, and it is indispensable for making Thai curry pastes. Tai pla is a pungent sauce used in the southern Thai cuisine that is made from the fermented innards of the short mackerel or pla thu. It is one of the main condiments of kaeng tai pla curry and is also used to make nam phrik tai pla. Far removed from the nearest sea, from northern Thailand comes nam pu, a thick, black paste made by boiling mashed rice-paddy crabs for hours. It is used as an ingredient for certain northern Thai salads, curries and chili pastes. It too has a strong and pungent flavor.
Nam phrik are Thai chili pastes similar to the Indonesian and Malaysian sambals. Each region has its own special versions. The words "nam phrik" are used by Thais to describe many pastes containing chilies used for dipping, although the more watery versions tend to be called nam chim. Thai curry pastes are normally called phrik kaeng or khrueang kaeng — lit. curry ingredients, but some people also use the word nam phrik to designate a curry paste. Red curry paste, for instance, could be called phrik kaeng phet or khrueang kaeng phet in Thai, but also nam phrik kaeng phet. Both nam phrik and phrik kaeng are prepared by crushing together chilis with various ingredients such as garlic and shrimp paste using a mortar and pestle. Some nam phrik are served as a dip with vegetables such as cucumbers, cabbage and yard-long beans, either raw or blanched. One such paste is nam phrik num, a paste of pounded fresh green chilis, shallots, garlic and coriander leaves. The sweet roasted chili paste called nam phrik phao is often used as an ingredient in tom yam or when frying meat or seafood, and it is also popular as a spicy "jam" on bread or served as a dip with prawn crackers. The dry nam phrik kung — made with pounded dried shrimp or kung haeng — is often eaten plain with rice and a few slices of cucumber. French diplomat Simon de la Loubère observed that chili pastes were vital for the way Thai people eat. He provides us with a recipe for nam phrik with pla ra and onions in “Du Royaume de Siam,” an account of his mission to Thailand published in 1691.
The soy sauces which are used in Thai cuisine are of Chinese origin, and the Thai names for them are (wholly or partially) loanwords from the Teochew dialect: si-io dam (black soy sauce), si-io khao (light soy sauce), si-io wan (sweet soy sauce) and taochiao (fermented whole soy beans). Namman hoi or oyster sauce is also of Chinese origin. It is used extensively in vegetable and meat stir fries.
Satay is also common in Thailand, grilled or skewered meat served with a spicy peanut dipping sauce made from roasted or fried peanuts.
Vegetables, herbs and spices
Thai dishes use a wide variety of herbs, spices and leaves rarely found in the West. The characteristic flavor of kaffir lime leaves or bai makrut appears in many Thai soups e.g., the hot and sour tom yam or curry from the southern and central areas of Thailand. The Thai lime or manao is smaller, darker and sweeter than the kaffir lime, which has a rough looking skin with a stronger lime flavor. Kaffir lime leaves or rind is frequently combined with galangal or kha)and lemongrass or takhrai, either kept whole in simmered dishes or blended together with liberal amounts of chilis and other aromatics to make curry paste.
Fresh Thai basil — distinctively redolent of cloves and with stems which are often tinged with a purple color — are used to add fragrance in certain dishes such as green curry. Other commonly used herbs in Thai cuisine include phak chi or coriander, rak phak chi or cilantro/coriander roots, spearmint or saranae, holy basil or kraphao, ginger or khing, turmeric or khamin, fingerroot or krachai, culantro or phak chi farang, pandanus leaves or bai toei and Thai lemon basil or maenglak. Spices and spice mixtures used in Thai cuisine include phong phalo or five-spice powder, phong kari or curry powder and fresh and dried peppercorns or phrik thai. Northern Thai larb uses a very elaborate spice mix called phrik lap which includes ingredients such as cumin, cloves, long pepper, star anise, prickly ash seeds and cinnamon.
Besides kaffir lime leaves, several other tree leaves are used in Thai cuisine such as cha-om, the young feathery leaves of the Acacia pennata tree. These leaves can be cooked in omelets, soups and curries or eaten raw in northern Thai salads. Banana leaves are often used as packaging for ready-made food or as steamer cups such as in ho mok pla, a spicy steamed pâté or soufflé made with fish and coconut milk. Banana flowers are also used in Thai salads or as a vegetable ingredient for certain curries. The leaves and flowers of the neem tree or sadao are also eaten blanched. Phak lueat or leaves from the Ficus virens are cooked in curries; bai makok from the Spondias mombin can be eaten raw with a chili paste.
Five main chilis are generally used as ingredients in Thai food. One chili is very small (about 0.49 inches) and is known as the hottest chili: phrik khi nu suan or "garden mouse-dropping chili." The slightly larger chili phrik khi nu or "mouse-dropping chili" is the next hottest. The green or red phrik chi fa or "sky pointing chili" is slightly less spicy than the smaller chilis. The very large phrik yuak, which is pale green in color, is the least spicy and used more as a vegetable. Lastly, the dried chilis: phrik haeng are spicier than the two largest chilies and dried to a dark red color.
Other typical ingredients are the several types of eggplant or makhuea used in Thai cuisine, such as the pea-sized makhuea phuang and the egg-sized makhuea suai, often also eaten raw.
Although broccoli is often used in Asian restaurants in the West in phat phak ruam or stir fried mixed vegetables and rat na or rice noodles served in gravy, it was never used in any traditional Thai food in Thailand and was rarely seen in Thailand. Usually in Thailand, khana is used, for which broccoli is a substitute. Other vegetables which are often eaten in Thailand are thua fak yao or yardlong beans, thua ngok or bean sprouts, no mai or bamboo shoots, tomatoes, cucumbers, phak tam lueng or Coccinia grandis, phak kha na or Chinese kale, phak kwangtung or choy sum, sweet potatoes — both the tuber and leaves and a few types of squash — phak krathin or Leucaena leucocephala, sato or Parkia speciosa, tua phū or winged beans and khaophot or corn.
Among the green, leafy vegetables and herbs that are usually eaten raw in a meal or as a side dish in Thailand, the most important are: phak bung or morning glory, horapha or Thai basil, bai bua bok or Asian pennywort, phak kachet or water mimosa, phak kat khao or Chinese cabbage, phak phai or praew leaves, phak kayang or rice paddy herb, phak chi farang or culantro, phak tiu or Cratoxylum formosum, phak "phaai" or yellow burr head and kalamplī or cabbage. Some of these leaves are highly perishable and must be used within a couple of days.
Several types of mushroom or het also feature in Thai cuisine such as straw mushrooms or het fang, shiitake or het hom and white jelly fungus or het hu nu khao.
Flowers are also commonly used ingredients in many Thai dishes, either as a vegetable, such as dok khae or Sesbania grandiflora and huapli or the flower bud of the banana, or as a food coloring, such as with the blue-colored dok anchan or the flowers of the Clitoria ternatea, which can also be eaten raw or fried.
Fruits
Fresh fruit forms a large part of the Thai diet and are customarily served after a meal as dessert. The Scottish author John Crawfurd, sent on an embassy to Bangkok in 1822, writes in his account of the journey:
"The fruits of Siam, or at least of the neighborhood of Bangkok, are excellent and various, surpassing, according to the experience of our party (...) those of all other parts of India." The Siamese themselves consume great quantities of fruit, and the whole neighborhood of Bangkok is one forest of fruit trees.
Fruit is not only eaten on its own, but often served with spicy dips made from sugar, salt and chilis. Fruits feature in spicy salads such as som tam or green papaya salad and yam som-o or pomelo salad, in soups with tamarind juice such as tom khlong and kaeng som, and in Thai curries such as kaeng kanun or jackfruit curry, kaeng pet phet yang or grilled duck curry with pineapple or grapes and kaeng pla sapparot or fish and pineapple curry. Fruits are also used in certain Thai chili pastes, such as in nam phrik long rue made with madan — a close relative of the mangosteen — and nam phrik luk nam liap, salted black Chinese olive chilli paste.
Although many of the exotic fruits of Thailand may have been sometimes unavailable in Western countries, Asian markets now import such fruits as rambutan and lychees. In Thailand one can find papaya, jackfruit, mango, mangosteen, langsat, longan, pomelo, pineapple, rose apples, durian, Burmese grapes and other native fruits. Chantaburi in Thailand each year holds the World Durian Festival in early May. This single province is responsible for half of the durian production of Thailand and a quarter of the world production. The Langsat Festival is held each year in Uttaradit on weekends in September. The langsat for which Uttaradit is famous is a fruit that is similar in taste to the longan.
From the coconut comes coconut milk, used both in curries and desserts, and coconut oil. The juice of a green coconut can be served as a drink and the young flesh is eaten in either sweet or savory dishes. The grated flesh of a mature coconut is used raw or toasted in sweets, salads and snacks such as miang kham. Thais not only consume products derived from the nut, but they also make use of the growth bud of the palm tree as a vegetable. From the stalk of the flowers comes a sap that can be used to make coconut vinegar, alcoholic beverages and sugar. Coconut milk and other coconut-derived ingredients feature heavily in the cuisines of central and southern Thailand. In contrast to these regions, coconut palms do not grow as well in northern and northeastern Thailand, where in wintertime the temperatures are lower and where there is a dry season that can last five to six months. In northern Thai cuisine, only a few dishes — most notably the noodle soup khao soi — use coconut milk. In the southern parts of northeastern Thailand, where the region borders Cambodia, one can again find dishes containing coconut. It is also here that the people eat non-glutinous rice, just as in central and southern Thailand, and not glutinous rice as they do in northern Thailand and in the rest of northeastern Thailand.
Apples, pears, peaches, grapes and strawberries — which do not traditionally grow in Thailand and in the past had to be imported — have become increasingly popular in the last few decades since they were introduced to Thai farmers by the Thai Royal Projects, starting in 1969, and the Doi Tung Project since 1988. These temperate fruit grow especially well in the cooler, northern Thai highlands, where they were initially introduced as a replacement for the cultivation of opium, together with other crops such as cabbages, tea, and arabica coffee.
Comentarios