Northern Thailand
Regional Background
Thai cuisine is often celebrated as a light and fragrant cuisine, due to the predominance of aromatic herbs such as lemongrass, galangal and lime leaf. As with many cuisines, Thai food uses 4 flavours as ‘building blocks’ – sweet, sour, bitter and hot (or pungent) - which have their place in every dish. There is an association of chillies with Thailand which isn’t entirely justified particularly as the chilli is not a native spice to Thailand, rather was imported by traders. Before the advent of the chilli, green peppercorns would be used to give a meal that extra kick! And if you wanted any further evidence of the importance of herbs and spices to the Thai, look no further than a traditional Thai restaurant where a selection of herbs grace the centre of the table to be used as a palate cleanser between courses.
History, culture and influences
Unlike many other countries in the Far East, Thailand’s history has tended to be one of self-rule. Culinary influences have therefore come mainly from traders with whom the Thai people have historically dealt. As you would expect given its proximity to China, Thai cuisine has many similarities with Chinese food – stir-frying as a cooking technique, for example - but the Thai have tended to take a custom and make it their own so whereas the Chinese favour chopsticks, in Thailand, food is always eaten with a knife and fork.
The floating markets that we associate with images of Bangkok were a key way in which ingredients would be transported around the country. Historically, many villages sprung up next to rivers, so the river became a key way to trade spices, herbs and other ingredients between the North and South.
A typical Thai meal is a communal, home-based affair with everyone tucking into the food. Usually, the evening meal would consist of fish (a favourite, particularly in the South given the dominance of the coastline in Thailand), vegetables and a soup. Unlike in the West, the soup is eaten throughout and at the end of the meal as a palate cleanser.
Thailand can be divided into three distinct regions: the cool and mountainous North; the tropical South with the Andaman sea and Gulf of Thailand; and the Central region dominated by the Chao Phraya River and its rich soil.
Recipes from Thailand