| Thai food is famous all over the world. Whether | | | | frying, stir-frying and deep-frying. Culinary |
| chilli-hot or comparatively bland, harmony and | | | | influences from the 17th century onwards included |
| contrast are the guiding principles behind each dish. | | | | Portuguese, Dutch, French and Japanese |
| Thai cuisine is essentially a marriage of | | | | techniques. Chillies were introduced to Thai cooking |
| centuries-old Eastern and Western influences | | | | during the late 1600s by Portuguese missionaries |
| harmoniously combined into something uniquely | | | | who had acquired a taste for them while serving |
| Thai. Characteristics of Thai food depend on who | | | | in South America. Thais were very adapt at |
| cooks it, for whom it is cooked, for what | | | | adapting foreign cooking methods, and substituting |
| occasion, and where it is cooked. Dishes can be | | | | ingredients. The ghee used in Indian cooking was |
| refined and adjusted to suit all tastes. | | | | replaced by coconut oil, and coconut milk |
| The 'Tai' people migrated from valley settlements | | | | substituted for other dairy products. |
| in the mountainous region of Southwest China | | | | Overpowering pure spices were toned down and |
| (now Yunnan province) between the sixth and | | | | enhanced by fresh herbs such as lemon grass and |
| thirteenth centuries, into what is now known as | | | | galanga. Eventually, fewer and less spices were |
| Thailand, Laos, the Shan States of upper Burma, | | | | used in Thai curries, while the use of fresh herbs |
| and northwest Vietnam. Influenced by Chinese | | | | increased. It is generally acknowledged that Thai |
| cooking techniques, Thai cuisine flourished with the | | | | curries burn intensely, but briefly, whereas other |
| rich biodiversity of the Thai peninsula. As a result, | | | | curries, with strong spices, burn for longer periods. |
| Thai dishes today have some similarities to | | | | Instead of serving dishes in courses, a Thai meal |
| Szechwan Chinese dishes. | | | | is served all at once, permitting diners to enjoy |
| Originally, Thai cooking reflected the characteristics | | | | complementory combinations of different tastes. |
| of a waterborne lifestyle. Aquatic animals, plant | | | | A proper Thai meal should consist of a soup, a |
| and herbs were major ingredients. Subsequent | | | | curry dish with condiments, a dip with |
| influences introduced the use of sizeable chunks | | | | accompanying fish and vegetables. A spiced salad |
| to Thai cooking. With their Buddhist background, | | | | may replace the curry dish. The soup can also be |
| Thais shunned the use of large animals in big | | | | spicy, but the curry should be replaced by a |
| chunks. Big cuts of meat were shredded and | | | | non-spiced item. There must be harmony of |
| blended with herbs and spices. Traditional Thai | | | | tastes and textures within individual dishes and the |
| cooking methods were stewing and baking, or | | | | entire meal. |
| grilling. Chinese influences saw the introduction of | | | | |