A touch of Thailand

Understanding Thai cuisine.

The growing international popularity of Thai food is not only due to its casual dining style, but its end result. Thai cuisine has a way of blending and balancing opposing flavurs and textures— sweet and sour, hot and mild, crisp and soft, wet and dry—to produce a harmonious marriage of unique tastes.

Dishes are presented banquet-style, with soup being sipped throughout the meal. Food is mainly eaten on plates or in small bowls with a fork and spoon. Knives are rarely on the table as it is seen as a sign of aggression— any necessary cutting is done in the kitchen.

Chopsticks are not traditionally used, however they are an option at many Western Thai restaurants.

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Thai cuisine takes its influences from China and India. Stir-fries and deep-fried snacks are cooked in a rounded wok-like pan called a 'ka-tha' (made from brass). Thai curries have been altered dramatically from their Indian cousins-they’ re lighter and more perfumed (yet quite rich), instead of laden with spices and ghee.

Contrary to popular belief, most Thai curries are quite mild. Chillies were not introduced into Thailand until the late 1600s when Portuguese missionaries brought them over after acquiring a taste for them in South America. There are several curries that do contain a los of chili, the heat is seduced with coconut milk or cream. Hotter curries come from the southern parts of Thailand.

Fresh, good-quality ingredients are vital. Aromatic and intensely flavored herbs - lemon grass and coriander-are mixed with garlic, ginger, galangal, chillies, pepper and kaffir limes to form texturally stimulating curry pastes and stir-fry bases. Other spices and condiments such as fish sauce, tamarind, palm sugar and lime juice add essential highlights to the finished product.

A wide variety of vegetables grow easily in the fertile soils of Thailand. The freshness of the crisp vegetables lend themselves to being served raw with dipping sauces of cooked lightly to maintain their crunch and flavor.

Seafood is more popular than meat and stems from Thailand s natural boundry. With a long coastline and many rivers filled with an array of fish and shellfish, what is not eaten fresh is then preserved.

In Thailand, meat is eaten in small quantities (unlike Western countries) due to an underlying Buddhist influence. Chicken is the most desired meat as its subtle flavur lends itself to the wide variety of Thai sauces and spices used. Rice cultivation has become an integral part of the Thai culture. Jasmine rice is the table's centre - piece, with other dishes as accompaniments.

Noodles, traditionally, are served throughout the day as a snack or light meal and not considered part of the banquet meal.

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Today they are so popular that most restaurants serve several varieties with the rest of the meal.

Western Thai restaurants serve deep-fried snacks and satay as an entree, but in Thailand they are served throughout the day at snack stands.

Fruit is commonly served at the end of the meal, either simply or carved into sculptures almost too beautiful to eat. Desserts are served on special occasions, either moist or dry and crispy and often contain coconut. Baked goods are not common as wheat and corn aren't considered important grains.

The Thai food boom around the world has meant it is possible to obtain authentic fresh ingredients in most supermarkets, Asian food stores and greengrocers.