Thai
food is internationally famous. Whether
chilli-hot or comparatively bland,
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.
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