Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ethnic Specialities
In addition to geography, the country's predominant minorities - Muslims and Chinese -
have had different but profound influences on the local cuisine.
Thai-Muslim Cuisine
Muslims are thought to have first visited Thailand during the late 14th century. Along with
the Quran, they brought with them a cuisine based on meat and dried spice from their
homelands in India and the Middle East. Nearly 700 years later, the impact of this culinary
commerce can still be felt.
While some Muslim dishes such as
ro·ŧi,
a fried bread similar to the Indian
paratha,
have
changed little, if at all, others such as
gaang mát·sà·màn
are a unique blend of Thai, Indian
and Middle Eastern cooking styles and ingredients. In more recent years, additional
Muslim dishes have arrived via contact with Thailand's neighbour to the south, Malaysia.
Common Thai-Muslim dishes include the following:
»
Gaang mát·sà·màn
- 'Muslim curry' is a rich coconut milk-based dish, which, unlike most Thai curries, gets much of
its flavour from dried spices. As with many Thai-Muslim dishes, there is an emphasis on the sweet.
»
Kôw mòk
- biryani, a dish found across the Muslim world, also has a foothold in Thailand. Here the dish is typically
made with chicken and is served with a sweet and sour dipping sauce and a bowl of chicken broth.
»
Má·đà·bà
- known as
murtabak
in Malaysia and Indonesia, these are
ro·ŧi
that have been stuffed with a savoury or
sometimes sweet filling and fried until crispy.
»
Sà·đé
(satay) - the savoury peanut-based dipping sauce served with these grilled skewers of meat is often mistakenly
associated with Thai cooking.
»
Sà·làt kàak
- literally 'Muslim salad' (
kàak
is a somewhat derogatory word used to describe people or things of South
Asian and/or Muslim origin), this dish combines iceberg lettuce, chunks of firm tofu, cucumber, hard-boiled egg and to-
mato, all topped with a sweet peanut sauce.
»
Súp hăhng woo·a
- oxtail soup, possibly a Malay contribution, is even richer and often more sour than the 'Buddhist'
Thai
đôm yam
.
Thai-Chinese Cuisine
Immigrants from southern China have been influencing Thai cuisine for centuries, and it
was Chinese labourers and vendors who most likely introduced the wok and several variet-
ies of noodle dishes to Thailand.
Thai-Chinese dishes you're likely to run across include the folllowing:
