• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

* * *

MUITO OBRIGADO

Try to imagine a Thai curry without the chillies, pàt tai without the peanuts, or papaya salad without the papaya. Many of the ingredients used on a daily basis by Thais are in fact relatively recent introductions courtesy of European traders and missionaries. During the early 16th century, while Spanish and Portuguese explorers were first reaching the shores of Southeast Asia, there was also subsequent expansion and discovery in the Americas. The Portuguese in particular were quick to seize the exciting new products coming from the New World and market them in the East, thus introducing modern-day Asian staples such as tomatoes, potatoes, corn, lettuce, cabbage, chillies, papayas, guavas, pineapples, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, peanuts and tobacco.

Chillies in particular seem to have struck a chord with Thais, and are thought to have first arrived in Ayuthaya via the Portuguese around 1550. Before their arrival, the natives got their heat from bitter-hot herbs and roots such as ginger and pepper.

And not only did the Portuguese introduce some crucial ingredients to the Thai kitchen, but also some enduring cooking techniques, particularly in the area of sweets. The bright-yellow duck egg and syrup-based treats you see at many Thai markets are direct descendants of Portuguese desserts known as fios de ovos (‘egg threads’) and ovos moles. And in the area surrounding Bangkok’s Church of Santa Cruz (Click here), a former Portuguese enclave, you can still find kà·nŏm fa·ràng, a bunlike snack baked over coals.

* * *

Although foreigners don’t seem to immediately take to most Thai sweets, one dish few visitors have trouble with is ai·im gà·tí, Thai-style coconut ice cream. At more traditional shops, the ice cream is garnished with toppings such as kidney beans or sticky rice, and is a brilliant snack on a sweltering Thai afternoon.

DRINKS

Return to beginning of chapter

Coffee, Tea & Fruit Drinks

Thais are big coffee drinkers, and good-quality arabica and robusta are cultivated in the hilly areas of northern and southern Thailand. The traditional filtering system is nothing more than a narrow cloth bag attached to a steel handle. The bag is filled with ground coffee, and hot water poured through producing gah·faa tŭng (bag coffee) or gah·faa boh·rahn (traditional coffee). The usual gah·faa tŭng is served in a glass, mixed with sugar and sweetened with condensed milk – if you don’t want either, be sure to specify gah·faa dam (black coffee) followed with mâi sài nám·ahn (without sugar).

* * *

Written and photographed by the author of this chapter, www.austinbushphotography.com/category/foodblog details food and dining in Thailand.

* * *

Black tea, both local and imported, is available at the same places that serve real coffee. Chah tai derives its characteristic orange-red colour from ground tamarind seed added after curing. Chah rórn (hot tea) and chah yen (iced tea) will almost always be sweetened with condensed milk and sugar.

Fruit drinks appear all over Thailand and are an excellent way to rehydrate after water becomes unpalatable. Most nám pŏn·lá·mái (fruit juices) are served with a touch of sugar and salt and a whole lot of ice. Many foreigners object to the salt, but it serves a metabolic role in helping the body to cope with tropical temperatures.

Beer & Spirits

There are several brands of beer in Thailand but they are largely indistinguishable in terms of taste and quality. The Singha label is considered the quintessential ‘Thai’ beer and like all others, is an alcohol-strong pilsner. Pronounced sing (not ‘sing-ha’), it claims about half the domestic market, and has an alcohol content of 6%. Beer Chang matches the hoppy taste of Singha but pumps the alcohol content up to 7%. There are other varieties of beer, like Leo, that offer more alcohol for the baht. Dutch-licensed but Thailand-brewed Heineken and Singapore’s Tiger brand are also popular