Thai food is characterized by spicy, sour, appetizing, and addictive as soon as you eat it. Fish, shrimps and crabs are the specialties of various restaurants, such as charcoal grilled crabs, charcoal grilled shrimps, pork neck meat, curry crabs, etc. After trying several Thai restaurants, everyone seems to be impressed by these dishes. Very impressed.

Pay attention to the materials used

Thailand is a tropical country near the sea and is extremely rich in green vegetables, seafood and fruits. Therefore, Thai cuisine mainly uses seafood, fruits, and vegetables. The main meal of Thai people is a large bowl of rice, accompanied by one or two curry dishes, a fish, a soup, and a salad (lettuce). The order of meals is not particular, it depends on personal preference. Desserts are usually seasonal fruits or various desserts made with flour, eggs, coconut milk, and palm sugar. Due to its unique advantages, Thai food is brightly colored, with alternating reds and greens, and is very pleasing to the eye. Whether it is the bright and refreshing fresh vegetables and fruits, or the meaty texture of seafood such as squid and squid, it is a feast for the eyes.

Unique seasonings

Anyone who tastes Thai food for the first time will think that the seasonings of Thai food are very unique. There are many seasonings that are unique to Southeast Asia and even Thailand and cannot be found in their own country. The most commonly used condiments are:

1. Thai lemon (KaffirLime)

Thai lemon is a unique flavoring fruit in Southeast Asia. Its taste and individuality are different from American lemons. It is slightly sweet, while Thai lemon is small, sour and rich in fragrance, which often makes people who smell it unforgettable. It can be used to make lemon juice drinks, beer flavoring, and the most important use is to make Thai dishes. For seasonings, Thais squeeze lemon juice into almost every dish, giving each dish a rich fruity fragrance and a typical Southeast Asian flavor. Thais can say they can’t eat without fish, but they can’t live without lemons.

2. Fish Sauce (FishSauce)

Fish sauce is a typical southern Thai condiment. Some people call it white soy sauce. As the name suggests, it is a condiment like soy sauce. How to make it It is similar to Chinese soy sauce. It is mainly made by fermenting some small fish and shrimps. The smell may be off-putting to some people as it has a strong smell of rotten fish and shrimp. It makes people who are not used to eating fish smell so disgusting that they hide their noses and run away.

3. Thai Chili Pepper

It is said that Thai Chili Pepper is the hottest chili pepper in the world. It’s called “rat pepper” in Thai, which shows that this is a very small but extremely spicy pepper. It is widely used in Thai cooking art. Cooking without sprinkling a few chopped chili peppers is like eating Sichuan cuisine without adding spicy.

4. Curry sauce

Coconut milk is used as the basic ingredient of curry sauce, and there are many seasonings including lemongrass, shrimp paste, fish sauce and more than a dozen locally grown spices , chili peppers, ranging from mild to extremely spicy, you can choose from them. Thai culture is deeply influenced by Indian and Chinese culture. Some people say that the father of Thai culture is India. The influence of curry paste can be felt in Thai cuisine.

In addition, lemon leaves and lemongrass are also commonly used ingredients in Thai cuisine.

Diverse cooking methods

Thailand’s food is deeply influenced by China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and even Portugal, but it is also mixed with strange styles, making it unique and tastes unique. The main methods are as follows:

1. Stir-fry quickly in a Chinese wok over high heat. This is a method similar to Cantonese cuisine. Fresh vegetables and Thai seasonings can be stir-fried to create extremely fresh dishes. The main representative works are: rice noodles (fried rice noodles with shrimp, pork, eggs and sweet and sour sauce), Thai curry chicken, coconut chicken (chicken juice, lemon and coconut milk) and beef salad.

2. YAM. Currently there is no substitute for Chinese. The method is a bit like a combination of soup and cold dishes. Thailand is located in the tropics, so it has given birth to many famous YAMs. The more famous one is a papaya salad called "SOMTAM". This salad is mainly shredded papaya, dried shrimps, lemon juice, accompanied by fish sauce, garlic and mixed vegetables. Crushed chili pepper for a spicy taste.

3. Stew. The hot subtropical climate has given birth to a rich soup culture. For Thai people, soup is a lubricant that maintains family harmony and enhances the relationship between husband and wife. Therefore, you should drink more soup and delicious soup when you go to Thailand. The taste of Thai lemon shrimp soup is extraordinary, and it may be difficult for ordinary people to accept it. First of all, the soup is extremely spicy, and there is a lot of curry in it. Therefore, only people with non-mainstream tastes can like it.

Different regions in Thailand have different dishes. Northeasterners love to eat glutinous rice with roast chicken. Northerners prefer a unique local sour meat called "NAEM". Southern food is deeply influenced by Malaysian Islamic style and features a variety of fresh seafood.

Basic seating arrangements for Thais when dining:

Traditionally, Thais sit on the floor to dine, but now Thai restaurants all use tables and chairs. Therefore, there is no difference in the way of dining from ordinary Chinese food. If the diners are old or young or of different generations, they should sit down in order starting from the seat closest to the wall or farthest from the door.

The traditional Thai way of dining in the early days was to serve rice on banana leaves and eat with hands. Today's Thai tableware is also very simple. The basic tableware is a spoon, a pair of chopsticks, and a round plate. When eating, the rice is put into a round plate, and a spoon is used to take the dishes with soup, while chopsticks are used to pick up the dishes.

How to eat Thai food

Because many people are not used to eating with a plate, many people feel a little uncomfortable when they first eat Thai food. It's not difficult as long as you know the right way. The correct way to eat Thai food is: when you are seated, first scoop an appropriate amount of white rice on the plate, then mix the dishes with the rice with a spoon, use the spoon to scoop up the soup from the inside of the body toward the front, as you would in Western food. Serve the meal after eating. Since there are many kinds of dishes, don’t serve too much rice at one time, otherwise all kinds of dishes will be mixed together and taste mixed and inconvenient. In addition, when eating, do not pick up the plate and pour it into your mouth for convenience. It is both unsightly and rude.