Thai Cuisine is the National Cuisine of Thailand.  Thai cuisine places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components. Thai cuisine is known for being spicy. Thai food is known for its balance of the five fundamental taste senses in each dish or the overall meal: hot (spicy), sour, sweet, salty, and bitter.  Detail and variety are important to Thai cooking.

Origin :    

   Although traditionally considered a single cuisine, Thai food is more precisely described as four regional cuisines corresponding to the four main regions of the country: Northern, North- Eastern (or Isan), Central, and Southern, each Cuisine sharing similar foods or foods derived from those of neighboring countries and regions like Burma, the Chinese province of Yunnan and Laos towards the North, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam towards the East and Malaysia to the South of Thailand. In addition to these four regional cuisines, there is also the Thai Royal Cuisine which traces its history back to the palace Cuisine of the Ayutthaya Kingdom (1351-1767 CE).  Its refinement, cooking techniques and its use of ingredients were of great influence to the Cuisines of the Central Thai plains.

   The cookery traditions and Cuisines of Thailand's neighbors have influenced Thai Cuisine over many centuries. Regional variations tend to correlate to neighboring states as well as to the climatic conditions and its geographical surroundings. Southern curries tend to contain coconut milk and fresh turmeric, while the North-eastern dishes often include lime juice. The cuisine of North-eastern (or Isan) Thailand is greatly influenced by Lao Cuisine. Many well-liked dishes eaten in Thailand were originally Chinese dishes which were introduced to Thailand mainly by the Teochew people who make up the majority of the Thai Chinese.

What Goes Into It? :       

   With over 40 distinct ethnic groups with each of their own culture and even more languages, it doesn't come as a surprise that Thai Cuisine, as a whole, is extremely varied and features many different ingredients and ways of preparing the food. Thai food is known for its extensive use of fresh herbs, rather than the dried ones.
        The common herbs used in the Cuisines include Cilantro Lemon Grass, Thai basils and mint and some other common flavors in Thai food also comes from Ginger, Galangal, Turmeric, Garlic, Soy Beans, Shallots, White & Black Peppercorn &, of course, Chillies.        

   Apart from the popular Curries and soups in Thailand Cuisines, their culinary specialty does not stop here, they include a lot of varieties of insects in their cuisine to prepare crispy snacks, and these snacks are prevalently eaten in Thailand, especially in Isan and in the North.  Many markets in Thailand feature stalls which sell deep-fried Grasshoppers, Crickets , Bee larvae, Silkworm & Ant eggs.  The culinary creativity even extends to naming: One tasty larva, which is also known under the              

   name "bamboo worm" (non Mai Phai, Omphisa Fuscidentalis), is colloquially called "Freight Train" (Rot Duan) due to its appearance.
Most of the dishes prepared with insects taste fairly bland when deep-fried, somewhat like popcorn and prawns, which is still fairly tasty, but when deep-fried together with kaffir lime leaves, chilies and garlic, the dishes suit as an excellent snack to go with a drink. In contrast to the bland taste of most of such dishes, the Maengda or Maelong da na (Lethocerus Indicus) has been described as having a very penetrating taste, similar to that of a very ripe Gorgonzola Cheese. This Giant Water Bug is generally used in a chili dip called Nam Phrik Maengda.  Some insects, such as ant eggs and silk worms, are also boiled and used in a soup in Isan.

Uses and Benefits :

• Olive oil is used as the cooking oil in countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.  Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) is mostly used as an ingredient in salad dressings. It is also used in culinary to be eaten cold.  Uncompromised by heat, the flavor is stronger.
• It also can be used for sautéing. Olive oil must always be stored in dark tinted bottles to prevent it from going rancid due to exposure to sunlight. A temperature of 14 degrees Celsius is advisable.
• Choosing a cold-pressed olive oil can be similar to selecting a wine. The flavour of these oils varies considerably and particular oil may be more suited for a particular dish. Also, people who like lots of tannins in their red wines might prefer more bitter olive oils.

Representative Dishes:

• Chok - a rice porridge very commonly eaten in Thailand for breakfast. Similar to the rice congee eaten in other parts of Asia.
  
• Khao khai chiao - an omelet (khai chiao) with white rice, often eaten with a chili sauce and slices of cucumber.
• Khao tom - a Thai style rice soup, usually with pork, chicken or shrimp.
• Khao khluk kapi - rice stir-fried with shrimp paste, served with sweetened pork and vegetables.
• Khao Man Kai - rice steamed with garlic, with boiled chicken, chicken stock and a dipping sauce.
• Khao Soi - One of the most common dishes in Thailand, fried rice, Thai style. Usually with chicken, beef, shrimp, pork, crab or coconut or pineapple, or vegetarian (che).
• Khao phat kai - fried rice with chicken.

Desserts and Sweet Snacks: :
        Khao niao mamuang-Thai mango with glutinous rice
Chao kuai at the Sunday evening walking street market in Chiang Mai - Most Thai meals finish with fresh fruit but sometimes a sweet snack will be served as a dessert.

• Chao kuai - grass jelly is often served with only shaved ice and brown sugar.
  
• Khanom bua loi – taro root mixed with flour into balls in coconut milk.
• Khanom chan – multi-layers of pandan-flavored sticky rice flour mixed with coconut milk.
• Khanom mo kaeng - a sweet baked pudding containing coconut milk, eggs, palm sugar and flour, sprinkled with sweet fried onions.
• Khanom tan – palm flavored mini cake with shredded coconut on top.
• Khanom thuai talai' - steamed sweet coconut jelly and cream

Drinks :

• Cha yen - Thai Iced Tea
• Krating Daeng - an Energy Drink and the origin of Red Bull.
• Oliang - a sweet Thai black Ice Coffee.
• Sato - a traditional rice wine from the Isan region.

Eating and Ordering Thai food :
        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.   Soups are enjoyed concurrently with rice and also with other dishes, not independently.  Spicy dishes are not enjoyed independently so they are "balanced" by bland dishes just to avoid discomfort.        

   The ideal Thai meal is alluring blend of the spicy, the delicate, the sugary and sour, and is meant to be equally satisfying to eye, nose and palate. A typical meal includes 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. Sweet desserts and/or fresh fruits such as Mangoes, Durian, Jackfruit, Papaya, Grapes or Melon would follow this.        

   Ideally, eating Thai food is a shared event, involving two or more people, primarily because greater the number of diners, the greater the number of dishes are ordered.  Generally, 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 the dishes and add it to their own rice.        

   In recent years, Thai Cuisines have gained popularity all over Asian Countries also. The specialty food habits have carved a niche for themselves. Many Restaurants and Hotels offer varied range of Food specialties with many people visiting Specialty Restaurants & Hotels.        

   To find the specialty Restaurant visits our Specialized Categories on Multi cuisines……