Are you into Thai food? If you didn’t know, Thai cuisine has a rich history that spans back as far as the early 1600s.
Thai food is internationally known for the use of sizzling spices, tangy ingredients, and its sour and sweet flavors.
If you’re looking to dive into the rich history of Thai food, keep scrolling because we’ve got you covered in this article.
History of Thai Food
Thai food came from the people who traveled from the southern Chinese provinces during the 16th century into what is now known as Thailand.
The first dishes of Thai cuisine had heavy Szechwan influences. As time went by, further influences from European cuisine made its way into the flavors of Thai food thanks to Dutch traders and Portuguese missionaries.
Thai food is a unique fusion of many Eastern world cultures and is a sultry blend of spicy, bitter, salty, sour, and sweet. As seen in famous Thai foods such as Phad Thua (spicy green beans) and yellow curry fried rice.
Regional Styles of Thai Food
Thai food is a very regionally diverse cuisine depending on where you get it from. There are four different regions—Southern, Central, North East, Northern.
Southern Style
You’ll find Southern style to be the most popular because these are the foods featured on many Thai restaurant menus.
You’ll find entrees made with coconut oil for frying instead of the traditional Ghee and heavy use of seafood, cashews, and coconut flesh as a condiment.
Central Style
In central style, you’ll see more meals that contain the sticky variety of jasmine rice. The central style was known to be more like royal cuisine because it was seen in the Thailand royal palaces and is considered more of an art form.
The central style incorporates complex meals and centers on elaborateness and elegance.
North East
The country of Laos heavily influences the northeastern style. Since land protein was historically scarce in Thailand, you’ll see a lot of shrimp and freshwater fish as protein and highly spiced sticky rice included in its cuisine.
Northeastern style is considered to have a spicier flavor compared to its regional counterparts.
Northern Style
Out of all of the regional styles, Northern style is the mildest when it comes to intense spicy flavors. Here you’ll find Thai curries, noodles, barbeque, and condiments such as peanut sauce.
You’ll see many dishes featuring sticky rice styled into small balls and find that a lot of the food is influenced by the neighboring country Burma. You’ll find popular dishes such as Phad Prik Khing or Kao Soi and other famous dishes that came from northern Thailand.
Are You Looking for Good Thai Food?
Now that you know a little bit about the history of Thai food, its time to dive right into satisfying your taste buds. Here at Thai Ginger, you’ll find some of your favorite Thai dishes, and you might fall in love with something new on our menu!
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