“Thai cooking is a paradox,” writes Australian restaurateur David Thompson in his comprehensive and thus aptly named Thai Food. “It uses robustly flavored ingredients–garlic, shrimp paste, chilies –and yet when they are melded during cooking they arrive at a sophisticated and often subtle elegance.” Actually, what he has said makes some sense about Thai Food.

Ideally, eating Thai food is a communal affair involving two or more people. Generally, the greater the number of diners, the greater the number of dishes ordered. It has been accepted as a rule that two diners order three dishes in addition to their own individual plates of steamed rice, three diners four dishes, and so on. Thai food is eaten with a fork and spoon. Even single dish meals such as fried rice with pork, or steamed rice topped with roasted duck, are served in bite-sized slices or chunks obviating the need for a knife. The spoon is used to convey food to the mouth. Chopsticks are used rarely, primarily for the consumption of noodle soups. The fork, held in the left hand, is used to push food into the spoon. However, it is common practice for Thais and hill tribe peoples in the North and Northeast to eat sticky rice with their right hands by making it into balls that are dipped into side dishes and eaten. Thai-Muslims also frequently eat meals with only their right hands.

Much of what is known about Thai food evolved in the Central region. Rice, fish, and vegetables, flavored with garlic, black pepper, and fish sauce, along with an abundance of fresh fruit, comprised the basic diet of Sukhothai. Instead of a single main course with side dishes found in Western cuisine, a Thai full meal typically consists of either a single dish or rice with many complementary dishes served concurrently.

Thai food cooked with many ingredients aboard, for example, the fiery chili pepper was introduced, along with the equally popular coriander, lime and tomato, from their native South America by the Portuguese. Other influences came from India, Japan, Persia, and especially China. In fact, Thai cuisine is essentially a marriage of centuries-old Eastern and Western influences harmoniously combined into something uniquely. Originally, Thai cooking reflected the characteristics of a waterborne lifestyle. The characteristics of Thai food depend on who cooks it, for whom it is cooked, for what occasion, and where it is cooked to suit all palates. Whether chili-hot or comparatively bland, harmony is the guiding principle behind each dish.

It is well known that Thai food is world renowned for its rich variety. Whether mild or spicy, sweet or sour, the tantalizing aromas of the cuisine are part of the fascinating cultural life of Thailand. If you have an opportunity to come to Thailand, never forget to have a taste of the local food there. When you are eating the Thai food, you can have a good touch of the real Thai people and their lives.