I. Introduction to Thailand
The full name of Thailand is: Kingdom of Thailand. Thailand was called Siam in ancient times. What does it mean in Thai? King of thailand? . Thailand is located in the south-central part of Indochina Peninsula in Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand in the southeast, the Andaman Sea in the southwest, Myanmar in the west and northwest, Laos in the northeast and Cambodia in the southeast. Its territory extends southward along the crater strait to the Malay Peninsula, bordering Malaysia. Its long and narrow part lies between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, with a coastline of 2705 kilometers and a total area of 5 13, 1 15. The Chao Phraya River flows through Thailand, and the area it flows through is the most fertile land, rich in fragrant rice and various tropical ingredients. Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, is around here. There are more than 30 ethnic groups in Thailand, of which 40% are Thai and 35% are Lao. The Thai nationality is one of the oldest nationalities in the world, and migrated here from the Yangtze River valley in the south and southeast of China around 650 AD. Thailand has been a unified country since13rd century. There have been five dynasties in history: Southern Dynasties, Sukhothai, Ayutthaya, Tangbury, and now Radanagokhin. 16 and 17 centuries, Thailand was invaded by Holland, Portugal, France and Britain. Thai is the official language and English is the main business language in Thailand. There are signs in Thai and English in the streets and alleys all over Thailand. Thailand has a long history, especially in Southeast Asia, with the most historical sites and profound cultural traditions. Most Thais believe in Buddhism, with simple and kind folk customs, warm and sincere treatment, beautiful natural scenery and human landscape, and low prices. It is a paradise for travel and vacation. Thailand's currency is Thai baht (maht), 1 Thai baht = 100 shadang. Coins are 25, 50 (not commonly used), 1, 5 and 10. Paper money is10,20,50,/kloc-0,000,5000,/kloc-0,000 baht. Most areas have a tropical monsoon climate, with an annual average temperature of about 27℃ and an annual average precipitation of 1000 ~ 3000mm. The climate of the whole year can only be divided into dry season (165438+ 10 to next April) and rainy season (5-65438+ 10).
Second, a brief introduction to Thai cuisine
Like Chinese food, Thai food has a long history and many cuisines, but there are four main categories. Chiang Mai is the main cuisine in northern Thailand. Northerners like to eat sour meat and sauerkraut marinated with sour juice and seasonings, such as sour rice cakes made of "Naeem" sour meat and rice paste, and various cold salads, which are raw, sour and spicy. Northeast cuisine is in an area near Khmer. Northeasters like to eat spicy dishes, such as? Laab？ Spicy meat and? Sam tam. Spicy papaya salad, these? Spicy food? It will be mixed with shredded papaya, shrimp, lemon juice, fish sauce, garlic and chopped pepper, which is very heavy and spicy. Southern cuisine is in southern Thailand, near the sea. There are many immigrants from South Asia and West Asia. In addition to eating spicy food, they will also add a lot of curry, coconut, seafood and so on. , making the dishes rich and varied, and the taste has evolved into fresh, fragrant, spicy and strong. Central cuisine is the largest cuisine in Thailand, with Bangkok as the center. The central cuisine combines the advantages of various cuisines, with richer ingredients and more diverse tastes. Many famous dishes, such as lemon shrimp soup or Dongyingong soup, a kind of crispy rice noodle (Mikrop) and Thai curry chicken curry, are familiar with our people.
Third, the cooking characteristics of Thai food.
The cooking of Thai food is deeply influenced by the cooking skills of China, Indian, Indonesian, Malaysian, Portuguese, Dutch, French, Japanese and other countries, but it is a fusion of many cultures. The main methods are boiling, roasting, roasting, frying, frying and frying. Thai food uses a wide range of ingredients in cooking, and pays special attention to seasoning. Even dishes with simple ingredients are very complicated and meticulous in seasoning, thus creating a very special taste, which often makes people's taste buds amazing and their appetite wide open. A gourmet commented on the feeling of tasting Thai food like this: it melts in the mouth, sour and sweet, like first love; Swallow it, spicy and refreshing, just like being in love; After careful tasting, the aftertaste is long and the fragrance is fragrant. This is the taste of sweet marriage! ? It is really wonderful to express the characteristics of Thai food: spicy, spicy, sour, sweet and fragrant. Pungent is the pungent of Thai black pepper and Thai galangal, which is pungent but not dry; Spicy, it is the spicy of green curry and millet pepper, long and spicy; Acid is the acid of Thai lemon and sour papaya, which is natural and thorough; Sweetness is the sweetness of coconut milk and palm sugar, sweet but not greasy; The fragrance is the fragrance of perilla leaves and citronella, which is refreshing.
Fourthly, the most important and unique seasoning in Thai food.
The flavor and characteristic of Thai food lies in the seasoning. Some seasonings are unique to Southeast Asia and even Thailand, such as the following:
1, Thai lemon: Thai lemon is small, sour and full of flavor. It is mainly used as a seasoning for Thai food and a lemon juice drink. Almost every dish in Thailand is squeezed with lemon juice, which makes every dish exude a rich fruit flavor with a typical Southeast Asian flavor.
2. Thai fish sauce: Fish sauce is a typical seasoning in southern Thailand. It is made by mixing and fermenting a variety of fish and dripping juice. It tastes salty, fresh and sweet, and is widely used for seasoning and dipping in seafood cooking.
3. Thai Chili: Thai Chili is spicy and widely used in Thai spicy dishes.
4. Thai curry sauce: Coconut milk is the basic ingredient of curry sauce, and there are many seasonings including lemongrass, shrimp sauce, fish sauce and more than a dozen locally grown spices and peppers, ranging from mild to extremely spicy. choose Thai culture is deeply influenced by Indian and China cultures. Some people say that the father of Thai culture is India. You can feel the influence of curry sauce on Thai food.
5. Lemon leaves and citronella: Lemon leaves and citronella are special spices commonly used in Thai cuisine.
6. Thai sweet and spicy sauce and Chili sauce: Thailand's unique spicy sauce is an essential and important condiment for many Thai dishes.
I recommend it carefully.