[THAILAND] THAI GASTRONOMY & FOOD CULTURE IN THAILAND

Food is significant in Thailand, the spices and types of dishes are all part of the Thai identity. If you’re a fan of Thai food, you’ll love traveling around Thailand and taste everything Thai cuisine has to offer. In this post, we’re going to share about Thai gastronomy, the relationship between food and culture in Thailand.

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Historical Background & Resources

Thai people had established what might be considered the heart of Thai cuisine as we know it today, various types of meat and seafood combined with local vegetables, herbs, and spices such as garlic and pepper, and served with rice. Later, the Chinese brought noodles to Thailand, as well as the heavy influence of Indian spices and flavors, which is evident in its famous green, red, and yellow curries.

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Thai cuisine has always been very healthy thanks to the use of fresh ingredients such as vegetables, herbs, and spices. The fact that it has a large choice of ingredients which harmoniously combine, both in taste and in the use of herbs and spices makes it irresistible.

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Type of Dishes & Specialties

The exotic flavors of Thai cuisine can be found everywhere in Thailand. Each region of Thailand has its own specialty and its own way of preparing. In Bangkok, food from every region of the country is represented, with the addition of “palace food.” The Chinese presence is strong in Bangkok, with a thriving Chinatown that is a must-visit tourist destination. Here you can find Thai versions of sweet-and-sour dishes, stir-fries, noodles, chicken rice, and various other traditional Chinese meals.

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Chicken Rice
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Pork Meat Soup
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Steamed Chicken
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Stir-Fried Fish Maw with Eggs and Beansprouts
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Stir-Fried Glass Noodle with Shrimp

Thai cuisine is also heavily influenced by Indian spices and flavors, which is evident in its famous green, red, and yellow curries. However, Thai curry still manages to maintain its own unique flavor with the addition of local spices and ingredients, such as Thai holy basil, lemongrass, and galangal (Thai ginger).

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Fried Curry Crabs
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Tom Yum Goong
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Beef Noodle with Meatballs
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Beef Noodle with Meatballs
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Porridge

The taste of Thai cuisine is inseparable from the sauce, curries, and spices. The spicy sauces add flavor to Thai dishes but can also be served as a main course, side dish or simply as a seasoning for rice. The sauces are easy to cook and are classically composed of chili, garlic, onion, shrimp paste, and sour tamarind.

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Grilled Water Prawn
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Khao Cook Gapi, fried rice with shrimp paste and serves with mango salad, salted egg, omelet, sliced chili, lime, and pickles.
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Pad Thai
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Roasted Pork Rice
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Beef Noodle

Thai curries are loaded with flavor, taste, and therapeutic benefits! The curry paste, made from fresh herbs and spices is used for treating heart problems. It is cooked in coconut cream before being added to meat and vegetables.

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Chicken Curry
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Stir-Fried Crab in Curry Sauce
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Fried Curry Crab

Style of Cooking

The techniques involved in Thai cooking consist of easy methods and results to great taste. A typical Thai meal includes four main seasonings: salty, sweet, sour, and spicy. Indeed, most Thai dishes are not considered satisfying unless they combine all four tastes.

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Tom Yum Goong
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Green Papaya Salad
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Beef Noodle

The art of Thai cuisine is an extraordinary combination of sweet, salty, sweet-and-sour spices, adorned with stunning aromas and a delicate presentation. The traditional Thai cooking is rich in flavors that originated from various cultures while different foods such as the omelet, fish cooked with spices, steamed rice, meats (pork, chicken, beef) combined with several vegetables, take its origin from Chinese cuisine.

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Omelet
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Steamed Fish
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Seafood and vegetables
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Pandan Wrapped Fried Chicken
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Tom Yum Goong
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Chicken Rice
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Stir-Fried Fish Maw with Eggs and Beansprouts

Palace-style cooking is more refined in flavor than Thai home cooking, and especially in presentation, with intricately carved vegetables (often made into flowers) decorating each dish or included within the dish itself.

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Luk Chup (A miniature molded fruit or fruit-shaped mung beans, made for the king of Siam to have after meals in the palace)

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Delicious & Colorful Desserts

One last food item that must be sampled on a trip to Bangkok is Thai dessert. Here you will find hundreds of cakes, puddings, jellies, and other desserts, most made from a base of coconut, rice, egg, and sugar.

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Coconut Pudding with Jelly and Ice Cream
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Rolled Ice Cream

Desserts in Thailand are not only delicious, but they are also very colorful and served in delicate forms. Most desserts are made from eggs and coconut milk, or fruit. A popular dessert would be sticky rice with mango or seasonal fruits in syrup with crushed ice Dessert fans will also appreciate the wide variety of tropical and seasonal fruit such as banana, mango, leeches, rambutan, mangosteen, and durian.

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Mango Sticky Rice
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Tropical Fruit Juice
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Durian Kakigori

For those dreaming of a cuisine and culture immersed getaway, Thailand is an excellent destination choice. Such plentiful and vast influences combine to create the complex taste of present-day Thai cooking—one of the fastest-growing and most popular of world cuisines today. Whether at the roadside stands or in fine restaurants, it is easy to experiment with the different styles and tastes of the country. Planning to visit Thailand? Let’s plan your trip accordingly with great food in mind!

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