| Thai
food has in recent years emerged as one of the
world's
favourite cuisines, but of course there is nowhere
better to enjoy
a Thai meal than in Thailand. |
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 Thai
food rightly enjoys wide popularity but it
is not just delicious tasting, it's also
extremely healthy in its emphasis on fresh
ingredients and a subtle balance of flavours.
Most of the ingredients used in Thai cooking
carry medicinal benefits. Such a variety
of ingredients is not only music to the
palate, but harmony to the whole body. The
chillies, ginger, lemongrass and lime leaves
that feature so strongly in the Thai cuisine
are there not only for their distinctive
taste, but to stimulate the digestive system.
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Some
visitors have heard, incorrectly in point of fact, that
all Thai food is hot,
or extremely hot. Although some Thai dishes are
quite spicy, far more dishes are completely mild,
and require no adjustment whatsoever. Much of the heat
of the spicy dishes comes from red or green peppers,
commonly referred to as chillies. The Thais call
them phrik. There are no less than a dozen of these, ranging
from quite mild, almost innocuous, all the way to
searingly strong and burning. However,
important as they are, chillies constitute only one
of the many ingredients combined to give a unique
blend of flavours. When properly used, they should
never overshadow the delicate citron taste of the lemongrass
(a common ingredient in Thai cooking), or the
somewhat different kaffir lime, or the elusive flavour
of turmeric.
Moreover,
each cook will vary the recipe according to taste, and
the blending will differ from one cook to another
and from one province to another.
These
ingredients come in different forms; rhizomes (much
like plant bulbs) for ginger, leaves for coriander,
stalks for bamboo shoots, and seeds for sesame,
and so forth. The use of coriander ground with garlic
and peppercorns is, for example, a typical flavouring
combination. Various garden produce is used to enhance
the taste of many dishes. Lime is squeezed on salads,
soups and curries, where coconut milk is used in
soups and meat and fish preparations.
A
wide range of dried spices, such as cumin, nutmeg
cloves or bay leaf are always found in Thai kitchens.
The proper use of these ingredients, together with
others, is regarded as culinary art in Thailand.
Many herbs and spices may be purchased in western
countries, but many, where fresh leaves are necessary,
are not quite the same. This perhaps may explain
why even an excellent Thai dinner in one's country
can never match the exciting experience of a perfectly
prepared meal in Thailand.
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Another
skill lies in the selection and preparation of the
ingredients. Thai cooks are expert in the handling
of cutting tools and are unbeatable in the art of
slicing, cutting and carving vegetables, fruits
and meat.
An unwritten rule requires that each
bit of meat and fish, when eaten with half a spoonful
of rice makes just one mouthful. The origin of this
rule lies in the absence of knives at meal times.
Well-sharpened knives are obviously vital to the
Thai cook, as well as the pestle and mortar used
for pounding and crushing the spices Most
of the cooking is done in a wok or katha, a
deep cone-shaped pan, placed over gas or charcoal.
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A
Thai meal ideally is a communal affair, principally because
the greater the number of diners the greater
the number of dishes that can be sampled. Diners choose
whatever they require from shared dishes and generally
add it to their own plate of rice. All the
dishes are served simultaneously, or nearly so. The object
is to achieve a harmonious blend of the spicy,
the subtle, the sweet and sour, and a meal
is meant to be equally satisfying to the eye, nose and
palate.
Thai
cooking has four regional variations (Central, North,
Northeast, South), plus the highly refined
Royal Thai cuisine, developed in the palace kitchens and
only in the mainstream of Thai restaurants
and cooking schools since the 1960s. Thailand
is blessed with many varieties of plants, herbs and
spices which ensure a balanced diet. Today,
visitors can both relish classic Thai menus and the
benefits of a natural diet, and study the
art of Thai cooking at several specialist schools
in Bangkok and major beach resorts. Enjoy your long-stay
in Thailand and experience these valuable
nutrients for the wellbeing of your body, mind and soul.
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