How much do you know about Thai food culture?
Thailand, located in the tropical region of Southeast Asia, is a typical landlocked country. Thailand's food culture is deeply influenced by the eastern and western food cultures, which brings together the key points of the eastern and western cultures. After hundreds of years of development, Thailand's food culture has achieved its own characteristics. In recent years, under the influence of popular elements, Thai food has become more and more popular among people all over the world, so a large number of tourists come to Thailand every year to taste local food and enjoy the food culture. Thai food is characterized by a balance of five flavors: sour, spicy, salty, sweet and bitter. There are four major Thai cuisines, namely Northern Thai Cuisine, Northeastern Thai Cuisine, China Thai Cuisine and Southern Thai Cuisine, which reflect the different geography and culture of Thailand, and the ingredients used in different places are often the same as those in neighboring countries. For example, like Malaysian cuisine, southern Thailand uses coconut milk and fresh turmeric, while northeastern Thailand uses lime juice and Lao cuisine. In addition, many existing dishes in Thailand are influenced by overseas Chinese who have settled in Thailand for many years, among which Chaozhou cuisine has the most significant influence, such as porridge, kway teow and Hainan chicken rice. Thai food mostly uses fish sauce and fresh spices, and less uses dry ingredients. The characteristics of Thai food stress the balance of five flavors: sour, spicy, salty, sweet and bitter. Usually, they are mainly salty, sour and spicy, with a little sweetness, while the bitterness is faintly behind. Anyone who tries Thai food for the first time will find that the taste of Thai food is unique, because five flavors appear on the tongue at the same time, and many seasonings are unique to Southeast Asia.