South Asian cuisine encompasses a range of cuisines including Indian, Chinese and island cuisines. But you may have noticed that the mainland Asian cuisine has in common dishes with curries, noodles, pork, etc., while the island cuisine is characterised by being richer in fish, fruit and vegetables. Thai cuisine falls into this last group.

Thai gastronomy

It is true that Thai cuisine is characterised by strong spicy flavours. But you will also find spicy dishes, with a mixture of flavours and smells. We love to take its balance of sweet, salty, sour and spicy flavours. In fact, this is the basis of what is known as Thai cuisine, the harmony between the five flavours: salty, bitter, sour, spicy and sweet,

We will give you some examples of these delicious dishes below. First, let's describe the ingredients.

Ingredients of Thai cuisine

Very common ingredients are:

• Rice: Rice is present in almost every meal, either as part of the dish (as soups) or simply white or fried. Plain or glutinous rice is used.
• Noodles
• Coconut milk
• Hot red peppers
• Garlic
• Chicken
• Pork
• Green curry and red curry
• Cilantro and coriander seeds
• Lemongrass
• Soy sauce
• Nam Pla or fish sauce

Thai eating customs

• Thai people do not eat with chopsticks, as we are used to believing from their neighbouring countries, but with a spoon (in the right hand) and fork (in the left hand). However, the fork is used for chopping up dishes and is not brought to the mouth.
• It is usually cooked and eaten in the street.
• When eating at home, dishes are shared, with the exception of soup.
• They do not usually serve large plates, but start with a portion of rice, and then gradually serve portions.

Thai food zones

Traditional Thai dishes come from different areas of Thailand.

• Northeast: popular throughout the country. It is characterised by grilled meats (such as Kai Yang), glutinous rice, fermented salads (such as Som Tam) or salads flavoured with mint and lime, and dishes with fresh vegetables and herbs.
• North: Kaeng Hung Le (spicy curry), Kaeng Hoa (fried curry), Khanom Chin Nam Ngiao (spicy rice noodles) or Kaeng Khanun On (unripe jackfruit curry) are most popular.
• South: they prefer intense dishes such as Kaeng Tai Pla (fermented fish curry), Kua Kling (deep-fried dried beef curry) and Kaeng Som Pla (sweet and sour fish soup).
• Centre: This is the origin of internationally known dishes such as Pad Thai, curry pastes and Tom Yam Kung (sweet and sour shrimp soup).

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