Thai Food Culture

A Thai meal typically consists of a soup, a curry dish, or alternatively one salad and a spicy sauce with fish and vegetables as a dip. All dishes are served together, so that one may take in the contrast between the sharp and soft components in a balanced relationship. Very often, raw food will be served.

The basis of most meals is the preparation in a small mortar of a spice mixture of garlic, small red or green chili peppers, and various herbs. After this paste is prepared, it is added to a little oil standing over an open flame wok. Then the other ingredients, such as meat, fish, pasta, and vegetables are successively added and simmered.

Food stalls all over Thailand are widespread. At these food stalls, in markets or on sidewalks, different dishes will be offered, such as meat, poultry, fish, soups, fruits and vegetables (grilled, boiled, or raw) and various gaeng dishes.

Table manners

Originally, Thai food was eaten with the fingers, which in some regions, for some courses, is still the case today. Beginning of the nineteenth century, King Mongkut, inspired by his many trips abroad, led the custom of eating at least one course with a spoon and a fork.

This quickly became in vogue in the restaurants of Bangkok, and it was not long until it was customary all over the country to use a spoon and a fork. A knife is not used because the food comes from the cook already chopped into bite-sized pieces of food, in portions to fit the spoon. For most Thais, it is considered bad manners to put the fork in the mouth, except when using little fruit forks.

Chopsticks are only used in Chinese restaurants or to eat Chinese and Vietnamese (pho) noodle dishes, and thus do not belong to the true Thai cuisine. When chopsticks are used, noodle soups are eaten with a spoon in the left hand, and chopsticks are used in the right hand for pasta, meat and vegetables.