One of the great pleasure of being in Thailand is that there is a great abundance of eating places and the cost of eating is rather cheap when compared to those in Western countries. As Thailand is a major agricultural country, grains, vegetables, meat and all kinds of foodstuff are produced here at very reasonable prices. Besides, aquatic and marine animals are easily acquired from the sea and many rivers. These factors together with the gift of cooking of Thai people make Thailand a paradise for every food lover.
Wherever you are in Thailand, you'll surely find a good number and variety of eating places -- perhaps much more than you've ever expected. And that's why many Western visitors said that one of their pleasures while being in Thailand is EATING! When asked why? They simply said -- Because it is delicious and cheap! thailand food
The unique feature of Thai cuisine is the mixture of 4 basic tastes -- salty, sweet, sour and pungent. Many dishes can even be described as pungent and spicy with lots of garlic, chilies, and fresh herbs. Thai food not only tastes good, but is also healthy due to its low fat and high fibre and the nutritious properties of its herbal ingredients.
Anyway, Thai food can be basically divided into four groups according to its region of origin -- central, northern, northeastern (Isan) and southern.
Thai food in the central part is a combination of various tastes -- hot, salty, sweet and greasy. People in the central and southern regions eat steamed rice with side dishes, such as curries, shrimp paste dip with fresh vegetables, fried dishes and soups. While many dishes of the central region receive the influence of Chinese cuisine, the southern ones are influenced by Malay cuisine.
Another difference is that the southern dishes consist mainly of sea fish. Its taste is sour, salty and very hot since people like to use turmeric in cooking. Khanom chin (Thai rice vermicelli) is a popular native food of the South, which is taken with vegetables and a hot and spicy curry.
On the other hand, the northern and northeastern people prefer eating steamed glutinous rice to non-glutinous rice. Most northern dishes are generally milder than those of the other regions. Sugar, coconut cream and spices are less used.
Khantok Dinner
A well known style of eating is khantok dinner comprising sticky rice, curries and nam phrik ong (a sauce of minced pork, tomatoes and chilies) all of which are placed in a wooden tray around which all guests sit and eat with their hands.