Palm sugar and tamarind: a discovery tour of Thailand
The question „Kin Khao Reu Yang?“ – „Have you eaten yet?“ – is used in Thailand along the same lines as our „How are you?“ So you can certainly imagine how important food is in Thai culture. Even if the dishes differ from one region to another, food is highly valued all over the country. Our last blog post was about culinary discoveries on vacations in general. Now, we focus on Thailand.
Share a meal
Thais prefer to eat together with family or friends and sharing is a particularly important aspect. That is why they always put various dishes on the table to share. Usually, everyone uses his or her own cutlery to help themselves. For many Europeans, this may take some getting used to. However, it is an essential part of Thai food culture with its great emphasis on communal meals.
The art of enjoying
Instead of eating one dish after the other Thais usually eat from all the dishes bit by bit. In doing so, they combine each spoonful of these delicacies with a spoonful of rice. The rice is comparable to a white canvas, against the backdrop of which the dishes can develop their full flavor. The art lies in the balance, that is, in the combination of sweet, sour, salty and spicy dishes.
Regional diversity
If you have ever been on a Thailand tour, you may have noticed that the cooking differs from region to region. This is due to the different influences: the north has mainly been influenced by southern China, the northeast by Laos, the cuisine of the south has oriental features and that of the center has Indian and Persian ones. By the way, the dishes that we mainly associate with Thai cuisine are from Central Thailand: Pad Thai, Tom Yam Kung or the green curry Kaeng Khiao Wan. However, the cuisine of the east is also known all over the country, since the workers from East Thailand took their traditional dishes with them when they left their home looking for jobs. Grilled meat, sticky rice, fresh vegetables and herbs are characteristic for this style of cooking.
On a discovery tour in Thailand
Are you curious? The best places to get a taste of Thai cooking are the various street kitchens – or you try an authentic cooking course. If you are looking for a special experience: the platform withlocals.com offers the opportunity to go to the market together with locals, cook together at their home and share the meal with them. And due to HiveSters you can participate in a Thai street food cooking course by “Street Food Mama” in the traditional Nang Loeng district. Have fun cooking!
