Thai cuisine is a type of Asian cuisine that is traditionally famous for its exotic taste of spices, combined with sweet and sour.
Several distinct tastes dominate the dishes of this extravagant cuisine - sour, sweet, bitter, salty and spicy (which is above all of the others). The magic of a Thai dish is in the perfect and balanced combination of these tastes.
The most commonly used ingredients in Thai cuisine are nam pla (an aromatic fish sauce) and kapi, a natural pate made of shrimp.
As far as the spices, the leaves of kaffir lime provide the unique signature of the exotic dishes in Thailand; they are used in soups as well as an ingredient for curry. The curry itself is frequently combined with garlic, ginger and lemongrass, mixed with different hot spices.
Rice in Thai cuisine is like bread and potatoes in European cuisines. It neutralizes the flavors and "softens" the spiciness of the dishes.
There are 2 common varieties used: Khao Suey, a white non-sticky rice that is the favorite of the residents of the central and south regions of the country; and Khao Niao, a yellow and sticky rice that is preferred by Thai residents in the north and northeastern regions.
Noodles are a staple of Thailand. Even the most inveterate fans of pasta, the Italians, recognize the supreme taste of this Thai product.
As opposed to the familiar baked goods in the West, it is thin and thick rice noodles that find wide use in Thailand, they are the basis for the culinary masterpieces of local chefs.
Thai kitchen tables are abundant in diverse sea and freshwater fish, shrimp, oysters, calamari, crabs. The seafood is usually steamed, cooked on coals or boiled.
Besides these goodies however, the exotic cuisine likes to include various insects in its dishes. The most common are worms, beetles and grasshoppers, which the locals eat as a light snack. Thai cuisine is especially rich in snacks - small pieces of food, in this case whole insects, that are roasted on skewers on every street corner.
The Thai drink tea, juice, coffee, water and all other beverages in see-through plastic bags. This is also the one thing that puzzles Western tourists the most. Further, natural fruit juices are usually salted, which can also be an unpleasant surprise for many.
This is owed to the fact that the hot and humid climate in Thailand has forced the people there to think of innovative ways to get their require daily doses of vitamin C, salt, water and glucose in the quickest way possible.
If you love Thai cuisine, we recommend: Thai pork soup, Thai chicken wings, Thai-style omelette, Thai coconut pudding, Thai grilled chicken and Thai fish balls.
