Thai food is internationally famous. Whether chilli-hot or
comparatively blands, 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. The characteristics of
Thai food depend on who cooks it, for whom it is cooked, for what occasion, and where it is cooked to suit all palates.
Originally, Thai cooking reflected the characteristics
of a waterborne lifestyle. Aquatic animals, plants and herbs were major
ingredients. Large chunks of meat were eschewed. Subsequent influences
introduced the use of sizeable chunks to Thai cooking.
With their Buddhist background, Thais shunned the use of large animals
in big chunks. 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. Chillies 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 adapt at 'Siamese-ising' foreign cooking methods,
and substituting ingredients. The ghee used in Indian cooking was
replaced by coconut oil, and coconut milk substituted for other daily
products. Overpowering pure spices were toned down and enhanced by
fresh herbs such as lemon grass and galanga. Eventually, fewer and less
spices were used in Thai curries, while the use of fresh herbs
increased. It is generally acknowledged that Thai curries burn
intensely, but briefly, whereas other curries, with strong spices, burn
for longer periods. Instead of serving dishes in courses, a Thai meal
is served all at once, permitting dinners 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. The soup can also be spicy, but the curry should be replaced by non spiced items.
There must be a 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 with pork, or steamed rice topped with
roasted duck, are served in bite-sized slices or chunks obviating the 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, three diners four
dishes, and so on. Diners choose whatever they require from shared
dishes and generally add it to their own rice. Soups are enjoyed
concurrently with rice. Soups are enjoyed concurrently with other
dishes, not independently. Spicy 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 (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. This would be followed by sweet
desserts and/or fresh fruits such as mangoes, durian, jackfruit,
papaya, grapes or melon.
Thai food is internationally famous. Whether chilli-hot or
comparatively blands, 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. The characteristics of
Thai food depend on who cooks it, for whom it is cooked, for what occasion, and where it is cooked to suit all palates.
Originally, Thai cooking reflected the characteristics
of a waterborne lifestyle. Aquatic animals, plants and herbs were major
ingredients. Large chunks of meat were eschewed. Subsequent influences
introduced the use of sizeable chunks to Thai cooking. 
With their Buddhist background, Thais shunned the use of large animals
in big chunks. 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. Chillies 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 adapt at 'Siamese-ising' foreign cooking methods,
and substituting ingredients. The ghee used in Indian cooking was
replaced by coconut oil, and coconut milk substituted for other daily
products. Overpowering pure spices were toned down and enhanced by
fresh herbs such as lemon grass and galanga. Eventually, fewer and less
spices were used in Thai curries, while the use of fresh herbs
increased. It is generally acknowledged that Thai curries burn
intensely, but briefly, whereas other curries, with strong spices, burn
for longer periods. Instead of serving dishes in courses, a Thai meal
is served all at once, permitting dinners 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. The soup can also be spicy, but the curry should be replaced by non spiced items.
There must be a 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 with pork, or steamed rice topped with
roasted duck, are served in bite-sized slices or chunks obviating the 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, three diners four
dishes, and so on. Diners choose whatever they require from shared
dishes and generally add it to their own rice. Soups are enjoyed
concurrently with rice. Soups are enjoyed concurrently with other
dishes, not independently. Spicy 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 (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. This would be followed by sweet
desserts and/or fresh fruits such as mangoes, durian, jackfruit,
papaya, grapes or melon.
