 Thai
Food: Delicious and Internationally Famous
Thai food
is internationally famous. Whether chili-hot
or comparatively bland, harmony is the
guiding principle behind each dish. Thai
cuisine is essentially a marriage of
centuries-old Eastern and Western influences
harmoniously combined into something
uniquely Thai.
The
characteristics of Thai food depend on who
cooks it, for whom it is cooked, for what
occasion, and where it is cooked to suit all
palates. Originally, Thai cooking reflected
the characteristics of a waterborne
lifestyle. Aquatic animals, plants and herbs
were major ingredients. Large chunks of meat
were eschewed. Subsequent influences
introduced the use of sizeable chunks to
Thai cooking.
With
their Buddhist background, Thais shunned the
use of large animals in big chunks. Big cuts
of meat were shredded and laced with herbs
and spices. Traditional Thai cooking methods
were stewing and baking, or grilling.
Chinese influences saw the introduction of
frying, stir frying and deep-frying.
Culinary influences from the 17th century
onwards included Portuguese, Dutch, French
and Japanese. Chilies were introduced to
Thai cooking during the late 1600s by
Portuguese missionaries who had acquired a
taste for them while serving in South
America.
Thais
were very adapt at 'Siamese-ising' foreign
cooking methods, and substituting
ingredients. The ghee used in Indian cooking
was replaced by coconut oil, and coconut
milk substituted for other daily products.
Overpowering pure spices were toned down and
enhanced by fresh herbs such as lemon grass
and galanga. Eventually, fewer and less
spices were used in Thai curries, while the
use of fresh herbs increased. It is
generally acknowledged that Thai curries
burn intensely, but briefly, whereas other
curries, with strong spices, burn for longer
periods. Instead of serving dishes in
courses, a Thai meal is served all at once,
permitting dinners to enjoy complementary
combinations of different tastes.
A proper
Thai meal should consist of a soup, a curry
dish with condiments, a dip with
accompanying fish and vegetables. A spiced
salad may replace the curry dish. The soup
can also be spicy, but the curry should be
replaced by non spiced items. There must be
a harmony of tastes and textures within
individual dishes and the entire meal.
Thai food
is eaten with a fork and spoon. Even single
dish meals such as fried rice with pork, or
steamed rice topped with roasted duck, are
served in bite-sized slices or chunks
obviating the need for a knife. The fork is
used to move the food to the spoon, and
spoon is used to convey food to the mouth.
Ideally,
eating Thai food is a communal affair
involving two or more people, principally
because the greater the number of diners the
greater the number of dishes ordered.
Generally speaking, two diners order three
dishes in addition to their own individual
plates of steamed rice, three diners four
dishes, and so on. Diners choose whatever
they require from shared dishes and
generally add it to their own rice. Soups
are enjoyed concurrently with rice. Soups
are enjoyed concurrently with other dishes,
not independently. Spicy dishes, not
independently. Spicy dishes are
"balanced" by bland dishes to avoid
discomfort.
The ideal
Thai meal is a harmonious blend of the
spicy, the subtle, the sweet and sour, and
is meant to be equally satisfying to eye,
nose and palate. A typical meal might
include a clear soup (perhaps bitter melons
stuffed with minced pork), a steamed dish
(mussels in curry sauce), a fried dish (fish
with ginger), a hot salad (beef slices on a
bed of lettuce, onions, chillies, mint and
lemon juice) and a variety of sauces into
which food is dipped. This would be followed
by sweet desserts and/or fresh fruits such
as mangoes, durian, jackfruit, papaya,
grapes or melon.
Titbits
These can be hors d'oeuvres, accompaniments,
side dishes, and/or snacks. They include
spring rolls, satay, puffed rice cakes with
herbed topping. They represent the playful
and creative nature of the Thais
Salads
A harmony of tastes and herbal flavours are
essential. Major tastes are sour, sweet and
salty. Spiciness comes in different degrees
according to meat textures and occasions.
General
Fare
A sweet and sour dish, a fluffy omelette,
and a stir-fried dish help make a meal more
complete.
Dips
Dips entail some complexity. They can be the
major dish of a meal with accompaniments of
vegetables and some meats. When dips are
made thinly, they can be used as salad
designs. A particular and simple dip is made
from chillies, garlic, dried shrimps, lime
juice, fish sauce, sugar and shrimp paste.
Soups
A good meal for an average person may
consist simply of a soup and rice.
Traditional Thai soups are unique because
they embody more flavours and textures than
can be found in other types of food.
Curries
Most non-Thai curries consist of powdered or
ground dried spices, whereas the major
ingredients of Thai curry are fresh herbs. A
simple Thai curry paste consists of dried
chillies, shallots and shrimp paste. More
complex curries include garlic, galanga,
coriander roots, lemon grass, kaffir lime
peel and peppercorns.
Single
Dishes
Complete meals in themselves , they include
rice and noodle dishes such as Khao Phat
(fried rice) and Phat Thai. |
