Thailand's+Food

=** Thai Food ** = = = //"Thai food offers a variety of flavours and tastes. The subtle mixing of herbs and spices and market-fresh ingredients makes dining a special culinary experience." // A century ago, meals were eaten by hand, pressing the rice into little balls; today a spoon and fork are used for eating rice.

Thailand sits between the cultural and political powers of India and China, and its food is clearly influenced by both. Yet Thailand's food, has maintained its own unique style. A Thai meal has no courses. And like most cooking of the region, the Thai meal is built around rice. Southern Thai people eat long-grain rice, while the northerners favour short-grain or 'sticky' rice. Noodles, probably introduced from China, also play a role in Thai cooking. Thai food is either stir-fried or steamed -- primarily in a wok. Some foods are grilled.

 In the early days, there were no complicated utensils used to cook Thai food such as pots, pans woks because they didn't exist in those days. The only metallic utensil used in cooking was a knife. However, the Thai ancestors were so creative that even without complicated utensils, they could make several delicious dishes that are still present today.

A typical Thai meal includes four main seasonings: salty, sweet, sour, and spicy. Thai diners would order a variety of meat and/or fish dishes, plus vegetables, a noodle dish, and possibly also soup. Dessert may consist simply of fresh fruit, such as pineapple, or something more exotic, such as colourful rice cakes. Popular snacks consist of spring rolls, chicken or beef satay, raw vegetables with a spicy dip, soups, salads, and sweets. Some common ingredients used in Thai cuisine include garlic, chillies, lime juice, lemon grass, and fish sauce.  

**The famous Thai dishes are- ** Pad thai- pan fried rice noodles with sugar, fish sauce, chopped peanuts, lime juice, seafood, egg combined with chicken and tofu.

Pad kee mao- stir fried noodles with Thai basil.   <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Khanom Chin Namya- boiled round rice noodles eaten with a host of curry sauces, fresh vegetables and leaves.