Thai Cuisine History

Thai Dishes are distinct, and well known worldwide. Perhaps each continent has Thai Restaurants that offer one of the best foods anyone could ever taste. How did the recipes survive since early times?

Thailand, a tropical country, is rich in herbs and spices which add life to their foods. This makes each side of the tongue entertained from every dish. Thai food varies depending upon the area or region of Thailand the dish originates from. These regions include the north, northeast, south and central. Early Thai dishes are commonly plates of seafood and vegetables, herbs and spices dominate the taste. Since early Thais are Buddhists, meat is only eaten in few quantities; either meat is served in strips or shredded.

Chinese taste influenced the traditional Thai cuisine since the area is connected to the Chinese mainland. With the migration of Chinese people about 1,400 years ago into Southeast Asia, frying, stir-frying and deep-frying of food became more popular techniques, and to this day pad thai (fried noodles) and Khao Pad (fried rice) remain classic Thai dishes. Other dishes are stewed, baked, or grilled.

17th century onwards, Portuguese, Dutch, French, and Japanese influenced the Thai kitchens. This includes the advent of chilies in the dining table, brought by Portuguese missionaries who carried the spices from South America.

Thai dishes were spicier than today, believe it or not. Since the curries evolved to have fresh herbs such as galangal and lemongrass, other dishes also became less spicy. The spice is needed to be taken over. Maybe, Thais are just well known for their commitment and resourcefulness, and even in cookery, they were adept at replacing ingredients – for example, the ghee used in Indian cooking was replaced by coconut oil, and coconut milk (which remain today two very popular ingredients in Thai cookery).

Thai food was traditionally eaten with the right hand while seated on mats or carpets on the floor as still happens in the more traditional households. It is now generally eaten with a fork and spoon. Despite China having such an influence on both the country and the food, chopsticks are rarely used, even when eating noodles.KFC Thailand

Today, Thailand as a tourist destination and a regional economic power has had a major impact on the cuisine, and the growth of fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s, Subway, KFC, Pizza Hut and other restaurants has boomed, especially in the large cities and tourist areas. Not only are the tourists and expats eating it, but Thai people are as well. Whilst generally Thai people are not fans of what they consider to be “farang food” viewing it as bland, the acceptance of fast food, suggests there could be further changes to come in the future with Thai cuisines.