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. Originally, Thai cooking reflected the characteristics of a waterborne lifestyle. Aquatic animals, plants and herbs were major ingredients. Large chunks of meat were eschewed. 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 adapting at “Siameseising” foreign cooking methods, and substituting ingredients. The ghee used in Indian cooking was replaced by coconut oil and coconut milk substituted for other dairy products. Overpowering pure spices were toned down and enhanced by fresh herbs such as lemon grass and galangal. Eventually, fewer and less spices were used in Thai curries, while the use of fresh herbs increased.
Instead of serving dishes in courses, a Thai meal is served all at once, permitting diners 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. There must be 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, or steamed rice topped with roasted meat, are served in bite-sized slices or chunks obviating need for a knife. The 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.
Diners choose whatever they require from shared dishes and generally add it to their own rice. Soups are enjoyed concurrently with other 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, a steamed dish, a fried dish, a hot salad, and a variety of sauces into which food is dipped. This
would be followed by desserts and/or fresh fruits.
APPETIZERS
These can be hors d’oeuvres, accompaniments, side dishes, snacks. They include spring rolls, satay, puffed rice cakes with herbed topping. They represent the playful and creative nature of the Thais.
SALADS
Harmony of tastes and herbal flavors are essential. Major tastes are sour, sweet, and salty. Spiciness comes in different degrees according to meat textures and occasions.
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 flavors 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 curries are fresh herbs. A simple Thai curry paste consists of dried chilies, shallots, and shrimp paste. More complex curries include garlic, galangal, coriander roots, lemon grass, kaffir lime peel, and peppercorns.
GENERAL FARE
A sweet and sour dish, a fluffy omelet, a stir-fried dish help make a meal more complete.
SINGLE DISHES
Complete meals in themselves, they include rice and noodle dishes such as Khao Pad (Fried rice) and Pad Thai (Thai stir-fried noodle).
DESSERTS
No good meal is complete without a dessert. Uniformly sweet, they are particularly welcome after a strongly spiced and herbed meal.
