Thailand Food
Thai food is incredibly delicious, with virtually every dish bursting with intense flavor and tang. It is founded on 4 basic tastes: sweet, salty, sour, and hot, the combination of which form a “yum” as in tom yum (a spicy soup) or yum mu (salad with pork meat). Thai cuisine relies greatly on palm sugar, coconut milk, fish sauce, citruses, lime leaves, chilies, lemongrass, cilantro, basil, mint, garlic, galangal, ginger, peanuts, and cashews for enhancing the flavor of its dishes. Thai chilies are the 3rd hottest variety world-wide, and they are not to be underestimated. What Thais consider to be of mild intensity (a dish with 1-2 chilies) is borderline unbearable for the majority of westerners. All of this emphasis on intense tangy flavors has helped Thai food become of the world’s favorite cuisines. As with all Asian cuisines, white rice (kow) is the staple ingredient that makes its way into virtually every meal. Meat is used in moderate portions, with chicken (kai), pork (mu), shrimp (goong) and fish (pla) used often, and beef (nua) used occasionally. Common vegetables include green onions, tomatoes, cucumber, eggplants, long-bean, broccoli leaves (kanah), baby corn, and bamboo shoots. Fruits such as pineapple, mango and papaya often make their way into Thai dishes and are especially delicious in Thai salads. Finally, banana leaves are often used as natural wrapping material for snacks and portioned foods. Staple dishes include Thai curries (including green, red, yellow or mussaman, and panang varieties), papaya salad (som tam), green mango salad (yum mamuang), beef salad (yum nua), phad thai, and tom yum soup. Thai curry (not to be confused with Indian-style curry) is made by mashing chilies along with several other spices into a thick paste, which can then be used in cooking. Most curry dishes combine the paste with coconut milk to form a thick broth in which meat and vegetables are cooked. There are several varieties of thai curry, including red (made with red chilies and often spiked with small amounts of shrimp paste), green (made with green chilies and often prepared with basil), massaman (also referred to as yellow curry) and panang (red curry prepared with ground peanuts and thinly sliced lime leaves). Soups are treated as the main course in Thai meals, and are usually shared from a large bowl placed in the middle of the table. They tend to be very light and brothy, but what they may lack in consistency is amply make up for in flavor. Tom yum goong (tom yum soup made with shrimp) is considered by many as the king of Thai soups. Food stands and kitchen pushcart kitchens are a common site in Thailand, conveniently serving up a wide variety of superb food in the markets, terminals and other highly trafficked areas of towns across the country. Common foods include thai curries, barbequed meats marinated in coconut milk and spices, papaya or mango salad, sticky rice, and other staple dishes, as well as perfectly ripened, freshly cut up fruit. A great number of refreshing drinks are served up as well, including the freshly squeezed juice of Thai oranges with just a touch of salt to bring out the sourness of the fruit, Thai tea or coffee sweetened with condensed milk served hot or icy cold, and icy fruit smoothies. On the sweeter side, banana pancakes make for a nice treat, as do portions of sticky rice sweetened with coconut milk wrapped in banana leaf. In the southern regions of Thailand where malaysian influences are much stronger, massaman curries reign supreme. This type of curry starts off as a red curry base to which Indian and Middle Eastern spices such as tumeric, cloves and cinnamon are added. Massaman actually derives from the word “muslim” and this curry was born from the spread of Islam into the area. Tuberous vegetables such as carrots and potatoes tend to make their way into these dishes. Another excellent dish from the region is kow yum – prawns cooked with a sweetened fish sauce, roasted ground coconut, and a mix of fruits, vegetables and fresh herbs served on a bed of rice. The Northern region of Thailand offers its own local specialties, including a unique sausage (larp) made from a variety of ground meats spiked with mint, basil, lemongrass, garlic and chilies. To the north-east, the food has more of a Laotian influence with a heavier use of fish sauce. Last edited Aug 30, 07 3:27 PM. |
Travel Tips for Food in Thailand
Bangkok, Central Thailand, Thailand
Bangkok is the best place for cheap shopping of all kinds. They are renowned for their authentic-looking rip-off designer goods, and clothing is amazingly cheap. Best markets/places to go include: Chat Tu Chak (although it is really hot and crowded can become overwhelming), Sum Lum Night Bazaar is good for a night out, MBK (Mahboonkrong) Center sells great bags and clothes (and is wonderfully air-conditioned), but by far the best place for shopping (and just to check out the scene) is Patpong. It is certainly the Thai experience.
I kinda hate Bangkok, as it is a falling down mess, but the shopping and food are unbeatable. I suggest being adventurous buying from the street sellers... they really make the best food although it looks dodgy. Great places to visit are: The Royal Palace, Wat Arun, Wat Pho, and taking an hour or so train to the abandoned city of Ayutthaya (although I suggest seeing Ayutthaya before ever going to Cambodia for Angkor Wat). After Angkor Wat, Ayutthaya is quite disappointing.
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Ko Lanta, Andaman Coast, Thailand
Hotel: Relax Bay.
Geiles Hotel, echt
Geiles Hotel, echt
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Kanchanaburi, Central Thailand, Thailand
Wear bug repelent!!! (Normally they don't bug* me but here they were EVERYWHERE!) Also, the famous Bridge over the river Kwai is walking distance from most accomodations along the river, so don't get scammed into paying $20 for a boat to it unless you want to see all the extras the boat trip includes- (there are far more impressive versions of most extras accross Thailand.)
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Phuket, Andaman Coast, Thailand
When you come out of the airport you may need a shuttle but/taxi. Be careful as sometimes the stop at a jewellry store/tour/hotel booking centre….they will try to sell you tours and stuff to make a commission. Simply tell them you want to go straight to the hotel and that all your tours are booked. We had a major hassle, but I remembered to tell them to just take us to the hotel. We stayed in Patong. Please note that this is a party town! There is a strip with all bars and clubs and it gets rowdy everynight. So don’t stay in a place located near the main strips (Bangka Road) if you want peace and quiet. The beach was nice, but the water was very rough (at the beginning of July). Not much swimming- just avoiding waves. Still some beach activities like parasailing and jet skiing.
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Pattaya, Eastern Thailand, Thailand
Pattaya was a disappointment for me.
I'm an asian girl and i was traveling alone in Pattaya.
Does this alone necessarily mean i'm looking for someone??? Pattaya's swarmed with dodgy old blokes and putas. I really disliked the atmosphere there and ended up staying in the hotel's swimming pool for 4 days!
Pattaya is an oversized red light district.
Unless your interest is in prostitution, go somewhere else!
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