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Thai food is famous all over
the world. Whether chilli-hot or comparatively bland,
harmony and contrast are the guiding principles behind
each dish. Thai cuisine is essentially a marriage of
centuries-old Eastern and Western influences harmoniously
combined into something uniquely Thai. Characteristics of
Thai food depend on who cooks it, for whom it is cooked,
for what occasion, and where it is cooked. Dishes can be
refined and adjusted to suit all tastes.
The 'Tai' people migrated
from valley settlements in the mountainous region of
Southwest China (now Yunnan province) between the sixth
and thirteenth centuries, into what is now known as
Thailand, Laos, the Shan States of upper Burma, and
northwest Vietnam. Influenced by Chinese cooking
techniques, Thai cuisine flourished with the rich
biodiversity of the Thai peninsula. As a result, Thai
dishes today have some similarities to Szechwan Chinese
dishes.
Originally, Thai cooking
reflected the characteristics of a waterborne lifestyle.
Aquatic animals, plant and herbs were major ingredients.
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 blended 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 techniques.
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 adapting 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 diners to enjoy complementory 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 a non-spiced item. There
must be harmony of tastes and textures within individual
dishes and the entire meal.
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