Eating & Drinking in Thailand

Thai food is eaten with a fork and spoon. Hold the spoon in your right hand and use it to convey food to the mouth, the fork held in the left hand, is used to move food into the spoon.

Chopsticks are used infrequently, principally are employed for the consumption of Chinese-style plates and noodle soups. Commonly meals such as rice with pork, or steamed rice topped with rice roasted duck are served in bite-sized slices or chunks obviating the necessitate for a knife.

Though, it is frequent practice for Thais and hill tribe peoples in the North and Northeast to consume rice with their rights hands by making it into balls that are submerge into dishes and eaten.

Eating Thai food is a collective affair. Each person gets their own individual plate of steamed rice and small soup bowl, all the other plates are laid out in the center of the table and diners decide whatever they want from shared dishes, some people think that taking the last portion from a shared dish is a little unlucky. Soups are delighted in tandem with rice or with other dishes. Spicy plates are “balanced” by tasteless dishes to prevent discomfort.

Eating

Definitively, Thai cuisine is one of the best Asian cuisines; it is distinguishing thanks to the enthusiastic use of spices and fresh herbs (be careful, some dishes can be very spicy). Thai food depends on who cooks it, for what event, and where it is cooked

Thai curries burn for long periods with strong spices, a Thai meal is served all at once, allowing dinner to enjoy balancing combinations of diverse tastes. Furthermore, Thai cuisine also merges the best of Chinese and Indian gastronomic traditions while retaining its own particular character.

A typical Thai food should consist of a clear soup, a steamed dish, a fried dish, a hot salad, and an assortment of sauces into which food is dipped. This would be followed by sweet desserts and/or fresh fruits (mangoes, papaya, grapes, etc). There must be a harmony (satisfying to eye, nose and palate) of the spicy, the delicate, the sweet and sour within single dishes and the complete meal.

Thai cuisine is fundamentally the result of centuries-old Eastern and Western influences pleasantly combined into something exclusively Thai. Thai modified many foreign cooking methods and substitute ingredients. The Indian ghee was replaced by coconut oil; intense spices were toned down and changed by fresh herbs such as galangal and lemon grass. Eventually, fewer spices were used in Thai curries, while the employ of fresh herbs increased; the combination of this gives Thai food its distinctive taste.

Jasmine rice, sometimes known as Thai fragrant rice, is an originally from Thailand, grows in abundance in the Thailand’s central plains. It is a particularly fine, naturally aromatic medium-grain type of rice with a taste very pleasing to the palate and is frequently served with Thai and Chinese dishes.

Tom yum is one of the most favorite dishes for Thai people and one of the most famous dishes in Thai cuisine; it is made with fresh ingredients such as lemon, grass, galangal, lime juice, fish juice, tamarind, the combination of these ingredients provides a delicious and unique sour and spicy taste.

Nam prik is a spicy chili sauce served with rice and vegetables such as cucumbers, cabbage and yard-long beans, version of nam prik differs from region to region. It is prepared by crushing together chilies with various ingredients such as garlic, dried fish, lime juice, some type of shrimp paste, tamarind, and fruit.

Noodles are very popular in Thailand, Phat Thai-Noodles are very famous in Thailand and the world over it is a great lunch item and almost the national pasta dish, Chonburi noodles are easily found in most Thailand grocery stores.

You can find other cuisines in Thailand, Chinese, European, Asian and Oriental cuisines are well represented. International and American breakfasts are served in most hotels. Recently, food chains, snack bars, and ice-cream parlors have expanded their popularity within the country.

Drinking

In general, tap water is not drinkable, being the rule the use of bottled water (naam plao). When eating out, water is usually safe, always at least boiled (naam tom). Ice (naam khaeng) habitually comes packaged and is safe.

Fruit juices made of exotic fruits are very popular and in such a great variety, a huge variety of fruits appear in the figure of pure fruit juice. Thais frequently add some salt to their fruit juices (a taste that you might learn to like); Thais also like to include basil seeds in their juice.

Coconut water (ma-phrao) iced and drunk directly is a great way to fresh the body, Thai iced tea is one of the most characteristic drinks in Thailand; the iced tea is always strong and sweet, and habitually served with a bit of condensed milk.

Drinking alcohol is permitted in Thailand, but on national holidays, religious celebrations, Election Day’s alcohol sales are prohibited altogether and drinks can not be served. Many supermarkets will sell wines and spirits, wines are priced high. Thai brandy, called whisky or rum, is actually tasty and very cheap; the best known being is the Mae Khong brand and its competitor Saeng Som.

Many villages produce their home-distilled alcohol (lao thuean), which is illegal, but nobody seems to mind very much, if you are likely invited to sample some, it is polite to at least take a sip. There are two main local beers: Singha (pronounced Sing) and Chang. Other brands available today are Tiger, Heineken, Kloster and Leo. Thais like their beer with relatively high alcohol content (around 6%).