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Cuisine
of Thailand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisine_of_Thailand
Thai Cuisine refers to
typical foods, beverages, and cooking styles common to the country
of Thailand. Thai Cuisine is known for its balance of five fundamental
flavors in each dish or the overall meal - hot (spicy), sour,
sweet, salty and bitter (optional). Although popularly considered
as a single cuisine, Thai food would be more accurately described
as four regional cuisines corresponding to the four main regions
of the country: Northern, Northeastern (or Isan), Central and
Southern, each cuisine sharing similar foods or derived from
those of neighboring countries. Southern curries, for example,
tend to contain coconut milk and fresh turmeric, while northeastern
dishes often include lime juice.
Thai food is known for its enthusiastic
use of fresh (rather than dried) herbs and spices as well as
fish sauce. Thai food is popular in many Western countries especially
in Australia, New Zealand, some countries in Europe such as
the United Kingdom, as well as the United States, and Canada.
Serving
Instead of a single main course with side dishes found in Western
cuisine, a Thai full meal typically consists of either a single
dish or rice khao with many complementary dishes served concurrently.
Rice is a staple component of Thai cuisine,
as it is of most Asian cuisines. The highly prized, sweet-smelling
jasmine rice (khao hohm mali) is indigenous to Thailand. This
naturally aromatic long-grained rice grows in abundance in the
verdant patchwork of paddy fields that blanket Thailand's central
plains. Steamed rice is accompanied by highly aromatic curries,
stir-frys and other dishes, incorporating sometimes large quantities
of chillies, lime juice and lemon grass. Curries, stir-frys
and others may be poured onto the rice creating a single dish
called khao rad gang, a popular meal when time is limited. Sticky
rice (khao neow) is a unique variety of rice that contains an
unusual balance of the starches present in all rice, causing
it to cook up to a sticky texture. It is the daily bread of
Laos and substitutes ordinary rice in rural Northern and Northeastern
Thai cuisine, where Lao cultural influence is strong.
Noodles, known in much of Southeast Asia
by the Chinese name kwaytiow, are popular as well but usually
come as a single dish, like the stir-fried Pad Thai or noodle
soups. Many Chinese cuisine are adapted to suit Thai taste,
such as khuaytiow rua, a sour and spicy rice noodle soup.
There is a uniquely Thai dish called nam
prik which refers to a chile sauce or paste. Each region has
its own special versions. It is prepared by crushing together
chillies with various ingredients such as garlic and shrimp
paste using a mortar and pestle. It is then often served with
vegetables such as cucumbers, cabbage and yard-long beans, either
raw or blanched. The vegetables are dipped into the sauce and
eaten with rice. Nam prik may also be simply eaten alone with
rice or, in a bit of Thai and Western fusion, spread on toast.
Thai food is generally eaten with a fork
and a spoon. Chopsticks are used rarely, primarily for the consumption
of noodle soups. The fork, held in the left hand, is used to
push food into the spoon. However, it is common practice for
Thais and hill tribe peoples in the North and Northeast to eat
sticky rice with their right hands by making it into balls that
are dipped into side dishes and eaten. Thai-Muslims also frequently
eat meals with only their right hands.
Often Thai food is served with a variety
of spicy condiments to embolden dishes. This can range from
dried chili pieces, or sliced chili peppers in rice vinegar,
to a spicy chili sauce such as the nam prik mentioned above.
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