There are no strict recipes, and the taste of the dishes depends on the imagination of the cook and the selection of spices. Fragrant, colorful and surprising with the originality of flavors, Thai cuisine is considered one of the most wonderful and creative cuisines in the world.
Thai cuisinewas influenced by Chinese and Indian cuisine, but it owes its unique character and diversity to Thai people's love of food and the incredible richness of ingredients and spices. The essence of Thai cuisine is a refined combination of flavors: sweet, sour, s alty, bitter and spicy, which makes it a unique culinary experience for Westerners. Thai cuisine is fast and light. Fragrant, full of flavor contrasts and extremely colorful.
Thai cuisine - "eat" means "eat rice"
Cannot exist without rice. It is the equivalent of bread and potatoes in European cuisines, so it is served with every meal. The verb "eat" literally translated from Thai means "eatrice ", which best reflects the role of this product. The lead is white jasmine rice, with a delicate floral aroma, which - similar tococonut milk- soothes the spicy taste of many dishes. Golden and sweet round rice is also popular. After cooking, it becomes sticky, so it can be formed into balls. Similar to wild-type dark rice, it has a nutty flavor and a strong purple color. Pasta is also important - rice, soybean, but also wheat. Both rice and noodles are most often served fried. There is a lot of seafood and fish in it. Tuna, squid, shark, cuttlefish, barracuda are just some of the creatures from the depths of the sea that are hosted on Thai tables every day. Fresh prawns, octopus, crabs and lobsters are available all year round. Thai cuisine is rich in vegetables and fruits, which are always fresh due to the year-round vegetation. Raw, boiled, fried or stewed in a sauce, they complement the meal or constitute a separate dish. They are served not only for their nutritional value, but also to emphasize the taste or soften the sharp taste of the dish. On a Thai plate you can find Indian mulberry, water mimosa, water spinach, water lily, bamboo shoots, okra.
Thai cuisine - fruit and spices
Fabulously colorful stalls offer passers-by a whole range of fruit. There are about 20 bananas in Thailandvarieties, moreover: juicy pineapples - like watermelons and papayas - the best in the world, coconuts, mangoes and more exotic carambolas, longans, pomelos, mangosteens, rambutans, lychees and durians favorite by the natives. The latter are controversial: some consider them the tastiest fruit in the world, for others their taste and smell of spoiled cheese are repulsive. The spices characteristic of this cuisine include: galangal (a root similar in taste and appearance to ginger), coriander, tamarind (fresh or dried flesh of a tropical tree fruit, spicy and sour in taste), Kaffir lime leaves (they have a characteristic shape, as if two the leaves were fused together at the base of the stalk, citrus-floral flavor and aroma, used as an addition to fish and poultry dishes), coconut milk, lemongrass, palm sugar (brown sugar from palm sugar or coconut), spice pastes (e.g. curry), fish sauce (s alty decoction of fermented fish or shrimps with a characteristic tart smell, used in most dishes). Many of these products can be purchased at oriental food stores, in the "Cuisines of the World" chain, and in good grocery stores. Coconut milk, curry pastes, fish sauce, coriander are available in supermarkets. Thai cuisine is dominated by wok or deep-fried, steamed or coconut milk dishes. There are no thickened sauces, and no butter or cream is added to them.
According to an expertKarolina Przyłucka, manager of the Thai restaurant Sunanta in WarsawFloating Market
The peculiarity of Thailand are the picturesque water markets. The largest and most famous is Damnoen Saduak. On both sides of the canal and in its arms, there are many teak boats moored. They sell carefully arranged fresh flowers, vegetables, fruits, fish. On others, small snacks and local delicacies are prepared. Trade is also flourishing on the jetties. Buyers swim to a booth or shout an order from the pier. The air smells of flowers, coconut and ripe fruit. All this creates a unique atmosphere. The floating market, once a place where the people of Thailand bought their food, today is mainly a tourist attraction.
Thai cuisine - in the restaurant and on the street
Thais eat little but often, which has a positive effect on their he alth. They are happy to eat outside the home. Despite the fact that the Thai table looks very impressive, no one leaves it too full. The people of Thailand taste the dishes rather than eat them to their heart's content. The main meal is eaten in the evening. It usually consists of rice, soup, oneor two kinds of curry, salad, fried and steamed dishes. There must be at least one spicy dish among them.
Thai soups resemble bouillon, they can be mild, aromatic, refreshing, to sharp, squeezing tears from the eyes. The famous Tom Yum is credited with healing properties - when eaten regularly, it plays an important role in the prevention of colon cancer. There is no fixed order of dishes, although the milder ones are usually eaten after the spicy ones. The meal is topped with fruit.
Watermelon carving
Everything is served separately or placed on trays, creating colorful compositions so that you can see the ingredients. They are carefully selected and cut so that the dish has an attractive form. The table is decorated with fancifully cut vegetables and fruits, arranged in picturesque forms. A fork and a spoon are used for eating - a fork is used to put delicacies on a spoon.
The dishes are presented in such a way that they do not require cutting - a knife is not needed. Thai people celebrate food, savoring every bite. There is no rush at the table.
Thai curry
Unlike the Indian spice powder mixes of the same name, these are pastes made from chili peppers, shallots, garlic, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime peel, coriander, shrimp paste and other spices. Their sharpness depends on the amount of chili. The most popular and spicy flavor is green curry paste, red curry paste is milder, the sweetest yellow one is used least often. Curry paste improves digestion and has warming properties. Note: May irritate the gastric mucosa.
Lemongrass
The finely chopped lower coarse shoots of the plant with a very intense lemon aroma give the dishes a fresh, subtle aroma and sour taste. The grass is used for fish, seafood, meats, soups, sauces, curries. It gives a characteristic flavor to salads, cakes, cakes and desserts. It is an addition to teas and spirits.
Coriander
It looks like parsley, but has a distinctive strong flavor and aroma. It goes well with garlic, ginger, lemongrass, lime, coconut milk. It is added to sauces, soups, meat dishes and liqueurs. The parsley, root and seeds are edible.
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