Eating Out

Without a doubt - Thai food is one of the best Asian cuisines, but be careful some dishes can be very very spicy. Thai cuisine is essentially a marriage of centuries-old Eastern and Western influences harmoniously combined into something uniquely Thai.

Due to Buddhist religion, Thais have not developed dishes with a 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 good in "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 dairy 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 usually consists of a soup, a curry dish with condiments, a dip with accompanying fish and vegetables.

If you are not so much into Thai food, do not worry. You can find Western and other cuisines in every city, but it would be a sin not to try as many dishes as possible. If you have not tried Tom Yam Kung (spicy shrimp soup)-soup and Phat Thai-Noodles (stir fried noodles) you probably haven't seen Thailand at all.