THAILAND AND ITS CULINARY TRADITIONS

A great majority of the Thai cuisine developed in its central region during the Sukhothai period (1238–1350 B.C.E.) and was largely free of outside influence until the rise of Ayutthaya in the fourteenth century. At that time international trade increased greatly and Thailand began feeling an impact on its culture and culinary traditions from China, Indonesia, Cambodia and some European countries. In the fifteenth century, chili peppers and tomatoes that were domesticated in the Americas were introduced into Thailand and by the 1800s, the complex of seasonings and a large variety of dishes considered as Thai cuisine was well established.

In 1283, King Ramkhamhaeng used rice and fish as metaphors for prosperity and security through his writing: “In the water there are fish, in the paddies there is rice.” Consequently, rice, fish and locally grown and harvested fruits and vegetables are the essentials of Thai cuisine. There is indisputable evidence that wild rice was domesticated in the Yangtze Valley in China and later spread to Thailand and other areas of Southeast Asia. Currently, rice is more than just a mere stable in Thailand; it is the countries primary agricultural activity and is portrayed in its songs, poetry, novels, and films. Rice has such significance and is so vital in the Thai diet that the most common term for “to eat” is “kin khâo,” which quite literally means “eat rice.” Additionally, a common greeting is “Kin khâo laew réu yang?” which literally means “Have you eaten rice yet?”
There are different types of rice eaten in different regions of Thailand. The north and the northeast prefer the sticky or glutinous rice while the central and southern regions eat plain white or jasmine rice.

The Thai very rarely eat alone because eating is traditionally a social event and their meals consist of rice accompanied by various side dishes that are served and eaten in no particular order. Typical meals of rice include such side dished as a soup, a curry, a salad, a steamed or fried fish, and a variety of dipping sauces such as fish sauce or one of various hotter sauces. Desserts most often are fruits although a choice of sweets called kanome may also be served after meals. Distinctions between what is served for breakfast, lunch or dinner are not made in Thailand because specific foods are not limited to certain times of the day as is common in the Western world.

Many Thai foods are eaten with the fingers, especially in certain regions of the country and the use of a fork and spoon is mostly limited to urban areas, where the fork is used to push food onto the spoon rather than to bring food up to the mouth. Since most Thai foods are cut into small pieces before they are cooked, there is no need for knives at the dining table.

The distinction between royal food and food for the commoners is largely in its presentation and variety of side dishes rather than in its ingredients. Royal side dishes are artistically transformed by carving, shaping and decorating to change their original appearance and require many hours of preparation. Desserts that are considered royal are foi thong (golden threads) made from egg yolks with sugar and luk choob which is a small mung bean paste sweet similar to marzipan shaped into small replicas of fruits.

There are restaurants in Bangkok that serve royal style dishes to make any visitor feel like royalty.