Thailand is known for not only its vast landscape of serene beaches and mountains but it's also known for its ornate temples and friendly people. With Thailand being in the heart of Asia, neighboring countries heavily influence their cuisine as well. It's believed that Indian Buddhist monks originally brought curry to Thailand.
Exploring Common Staples- Thai cuisine is known for its vibrant flavors, aromatic herbs, and delicate balance of sweet, sour, spicy, and salty flavors. Due to its luscious landscape, Thai cuisine offers a plethora of fresh food staples. The most common staples you will find are:
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Rice: This is the backbone of Thai cuisine being served at nearly every meal, particularly jasmine rice or even rice noodles.
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Fish and Seafood: Popular fish and seafood choices include shrimp, catfish, mackerel, snapper, white perch, squid, crab, and mussels which are often used in curries, stir-fry, or soups.
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Variety of Vegetables: Thai dishes embrace an abundance of colorful vegetables that often include bean sprouts, bok choy, Thai eggplant, Chinese broccoli, mushrooms, asparagus, and Chinese cabbage.
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Fiery Spices and Seasoning: To achieve the flavors of traditional Thai dishes they often use chili peppers, green, red, or massaman curries. They also include other seasonings like garlic, ginger, turmeric, and shallots.
Popular Cooking Techniques- Thai cuisine's most popular cooking methods are stir-frying, steaming, and grilling. The quick stir-frying method is often used with minimal oil to help preserve the color, texture, and nutrients of vegetables. Thai cuisine uses steaming for delicate dishes like fish to retain fresh flavors without the need for excessive oil.
Health Benefits of Thai Cuisine- Traditional Thai cuisine is rich in an abundance of colorful vegetables, fruits, and seafood served with anti-inflammatory herbs and spices like turmeric, ginger, and lemongrass. Thai cuisine is rich in antioxidants and can be beneficial for heart health and inflammation. However, some dishes offer a large serving of rice and noodles, so those living with diabetes should monitor their portions to maintain blood sugar control.
In Thai culture, they eat slowly and savor the flavors of their dishes. So much so that they often only savor one dish at a time. In Thai culture, the meal is an opportunity to be shared with loved ones. Everything is often shared at mealtimes, building upon the nature of their friendly culture.