Have you ever wondered if your Thai dishes you are eating in a Thai restaurant in Washington D.C. or Paris are authentic Thai food? Dr Kanit Muntarbhorn, a food lover for more than half a century, has spent twenty years collecting data and has access to more than 70 older Thai “food and cuisine” books (1889-1960). He recently wrote in an e-magazine of the Tourism Authority of Thailand about some tips and facts to help you differentiate an authentic Thai cuisine from a fusion Thai food. The followings are some of them.

• Green Thai curry must be green (pigments from green chillies and chilli leaves).
• Red Thai chilli (technically a fruit) is not red Cayenne chilli.
• The aroma of Thai hot basil (Bai Kaprow) is different to that of Thai sweet basil (Bai Horapa), and Italian basil is no substitute.
• In most Thai recipes with onions, small red-purple shallots rather than the larger European shallots or onions are used.
• Tomato-sized green aubergine cannot be substituted by purple eggplant.
• Ginger is no substitute for Thai/greater galangal.
• Thai fish sauce and tamarind water provide extra flavours for Thai fried noodles, i.e.Phad Thai.
• Lemongrass and Thai/Kaffir lime leaves are more important than galangal in Tom Yum Goong (Hot and Spicy Prawn Soup).
• Bai Kaprow is used in Thai cuisine and not in Indian cuisine because it is regarded as “Holy Basil” in India.
• Some Thai fruits of old Siam comprise coconut (a drupe), banana, mango, durian, jackfruit, oranges (green skinned), pomelo and starfruit.
• Although Red Roasted-Duck Curry has evolved so fast, one needs to explain the adding of non-Thai fruits such as English apple or Chinese litchi/lychee or Kiwi fruit.
• In old recipes, coconut sugar was preferred to cane sugar and the best sugar for desserts, Nam Taln Tanod, came from Palmyra palm.

If you have a chance to come to Thailand, take this opportunity to take a Thai cooking class. Many schools and hotels offer a variety of cooking lessons for foreigners. It’s fun and delicious!!!!

Source: Tourism Authority of Thailand