Central Thailand Cuisine

Central Thai

Central Thailand is the culture my group is studying. We chose this culture because as commonly heard as it is; it is very much foreign to the general population in the U.S. today. We thought we would indulge into Central Thailand a bit for it seems to be very interesting. My topic in particular is the traditional cuisine of Central Thai. They have a very distinct flavor to their food that is far different from that of the traditional American cuisine. I have taken information from a Google search as well as using the data base eHRAF to gather information.

Traditional Thai food has not changed over the eras. The traditional recipes have not been lost, only new foods added to the diet such as fast food and that of other neighboring countries, whose dishes have migrated to Central Thai. The flavor of Thai food is distinctly different than many other cuisines. There are many spices and heat that encompasses the dish as well as multiple flavors that mix in a perfectly savory way (Enjoy Thai Food). The people of Central Thai value their food and the taste of it. Rarely will they scarf down their food, they like to take their time and enjoy the mix of sweet and savory that is apparent in so many of their dishes.

The main staple of the Thai diet is rice. In the north it is a sticky rice that is in almost every meal where as in the south, a steamed rice is the main staple that is enjoyed (Let’s Go Travel). The rice and Thailand can be either sweet or savory, depending on the particular persons preference (Enjoy Thai Food). The five main flavors of Thai are spicy, sour, sweet, salty, and bitter (Thai Food Tonight). Due to Thailand’s lush farmlands and fresh waters the traditional cuisine of Central Thailand has a wide variety of aquatic foods as well as farmland, and foraging type foods including fresh herbs, fruit, nuts, chilies and beans (Thai Food Tonight). However even though there is a plethora of seafood many of the dishes contain land animals such as beef, pork, and chicken. The heat of the spices that the Thai cuisine contains is too much to handle for many foreign to the flavors and heat of Thai spices.

In Central Thailand, the eating patterns are very similar to that in America; Breakfast relatively early in the morning, lunch around noon, and dinner during the mid-evening (eHRAF). Families normally don’t eat together until dinner because breakfast and lunch are normally taken to-go. As eHRAF states in the article, “The food is cooked twice a day, in the early morning and in the afternoon about 3 or 4 o'clock” (eHRAF). Not much food is bought because in Central Thailand many grow their own food due to the fact that they have a heavy farming population. This is very different to that of the American culture; it is rare to find someone who makes their own food.

Not many of the Thai traditions have changed over the years, obviously there has been progress, but the staples that make Thailand unique are still in tact. I have come to understand that the Thai cuisine is different from that of the U.S. but similar in terms of eating habits. The traditional cuisine of Central Thailand relates to the topics of diet and cuisine that have been discussed in class pertaining to different cultures over the semester.

Works Cited

Amyot, et al. “Village Ayutthaya: Social and Economic Conditions of a Rural Population in Central Thailand.” eHRAF. Chulalongkorn U Social Science Research Inst, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2011. .

“Thai Food from the Central Region.” Enjoy Thai Food. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2011. .

“Thailand Culture.” Let’s Go Travel. Let’s Go, 2011. Web. 18 Apr. 2011. .

“Traditional Thai Cuisine.” Thai Food Tonight. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2011. .