|
REGIONAL FOOD
 Geographically,
Thailand is divided into four regions. The Central region is the
fertile country around the Chao Phraya River; the South is a peninsula
with the Andaman Sea on one side and the Gulf of Thailand on the
other; the North is cool and mountainous, and the Northeast a vast
plateau bordered by the Mekong River. Each region has its own customs
and dialect. When we speak of “Thai food”, we are talking
about these four very different regions, and also the exquisitely
prepared dishes created in the royal courts of Siam.
The North: With its cool, highland
climate, northern Thailand has a greater variety of vegetables,
roots and herbs than other regional Thai cuisines, and considerable
influence of Myanmar and Laos can be found in its cuisine. Northerners
prefer sticky rice to white rice, rolling it into a ball with their
fi ngers and dipping it into sauces.
The ethnic mix of Yunnanese, Shan and Burmese migrants produced
a wide range of noodle dishes. In Chiang Mai, khao soy egg noodles
eaten with chicken or beef curry and with spicy and sour side dishes
was brought in by the caravans of Yunnan Moslems.
No visit to the North is complete without a khan toke dinner.
The name derives from a khan, or bowl, and a toke, a low, round
table made of woven bamboo. Guests sit on the fl oor and help themselves
from the assorted dishes of Northern specialities placed on the
table. These days, a khan toke dinner is often accompanied by a
traditional dance performance.
The Northeast: Northeastern Thailand
is known to Thais as Isan, and here again sticky rice is preferred
to the standard variety. Herbs, spices and pickles give a strong
flavour to roast and grilled meat and other ingredients. Chillies
tend to be used generously here, to add layers of fi ery fl avour
or enliven a meal that might otherwise be short on taste content.
Making som tam is an art here. Green papaya is chopped into strips
and pounded in a mortar with lime juice, garlic, chilli, fi sh sauce
and other ingredients. One popular style includes dried shrimp,
cherry tomatoes and roast peanuts. Eating hot, spicy som tam frequently
brings tears to the eyes, and the absorbent sticky rice comes as
a relief.
 Central
Plains: Central Thailand has the advantage of many rivers
flowing southwards over flat terrain to create a fertile soil in
which almost any crop can flourish. The best rice is grown here,
like the famous hom mali jasmine rice. There are three types of
curry typical of the region, all based on coconut milk: a green
curry, kaeng khieo wan, usually made with fi sh or poultry; a hot
curry, kaeng phet, and a milder version called kaeng phanaeng.
Tom yam, the famous hot and sour soup, also originates from the
Central region, and a creamy, coconut milk soup made with chicken
called tom kha kai. The spicy salads known as yam also come from
here. Haw mok, banana leaf cups of a mousse made from red curry
paste, egg and coconut milk with seafood is a popular snack.
The Chinese infl uence is especially noticeable in the Central
region, in the plain soups that usually include tofu, ground pork
and green squash, in the style of the cooking utensils, and in the
noodle dishes.
 The
South: Southern Thailand, a narrow peninsula extending down
to Malaysia, is dramatically different from the rest of the country
in both terrain and culture. Mosques add their distinctive domes
to the landscape, for the South is the home of most of Thailand’s
Muslims.
Southern food refl ects their traditions as well as those of the
colourful past when traders from India and Java sailed into the
peninsula ports. Coconut plantations form a major component of the
scenery, and no part of the coconut is wasted. The milk is used
for soups and curries, the oil for frying, and the grated flesh
as a flavouring. Cashew nuts and pineapples also widely planted
and are a familiar feature of the cuisine.
The warm seas provide an abundance of fi sh and seafood such as
lobsters, crabs, mussels, squid, prawns and scallops, prepared simply
by steaming or frying, or by cooking in a clay pot with noodles.
A dish typical of the South is kaeng tai pla, a very hot curry made
with fi sh maw, green beans, pickled bamboo shoots and potato.
Fresh turmeric gives southern curries a distinctive yellow colour.
There is one dish simply called yellow curry (kaeng leuang), made
from fi sh, green squash, pineapple, green beans and green papaya.
With Malay, Javanese and Indian infl uences and its own creativity,
the South produces an extraordinary range of curries.
When we sit down to a Thai meal, we are experiencing the many different
styles and fl avours of the country. The curries and seafood of
the South; the court dishes of the North; the earthy recipes of
the Northeast with herbs and river fi sh; the inventiveness of the
fertile Central region and the sophistication of court cuisine.
Add to this the Chinese infl uence and the contributions of other
ethnic peoples, and you have a gloriously appetising melting pot.
|
