THAILAND
Slightly more than
two of Wyoming
Southeast Asia
Mountains
Khorat Plateau
WEATHER
Tropical & Humid
Rainy & Warm Southwest
 Monsoon
Hot and Humid South
LIVESTOCK
Chicken
Pigs
Dairy Cattle
Eggs
RELIGION
Buddhism
 All Buddha images considered very sacred
 Dress appropriately
 Shoes are allowed when walking around, but must be
removed in chapel
 In mosque, men wear hats while women should be covered
in long sleeves and a scarf covering her head.
 Visitors are unwelcomed when it comes to religious
gatherings.
CUSTOMS
 Do not shake hands but have the Wai greeting
 Can be used to say sorry, thank you, or pay respect
 Rude to point with your feet, especially at
people
 The head is the most important part of the body
 Many younger children go to
 great lengths to keep their
 head lower than elders to show
 respect
 You should not have PDA or
lose your temper in public
HOLIDAYS
 Makha Bucha
 Celebrating Buddha’s teachings
 Chakri Day
 Celebrates the Chakri Dynasty,
the current monarch
 Songran festival
 Thai’s traditional New Year
 Visakha Bucha
 Celebrates the birth, enlightenment and entry of Buddha
 Loy Krathrong
 Offering to the spirit of the water to wash away sins
TABOOS AND BANQUETS
No traditional taboo foods but celebrate
banquets with food
Popular food “golden threads”
Thin layer of egg or noodles wrapped around
small pieces of food
Thought to bring good luck and wealth
HISTORY OF FOOD AND COOKING
 Focus on five flavors: spicy, sour, sweet, salty, and bitter
 Each dish tries to combine at least 3 flavors
 Dishes take time to prepare
 Large families make cooking meals a family activity
 Four regions of Thailand influence flavors
 Central: most popular for herbs and sugar with dishes using
coconut milk
 Northern: light flavors, little spices, not salty and little sugar
 North Eastern: very spicy using chilies, salt, herbs, and spices
 Southern: spicy herbs, coconut milk, vegetables are main
ingredient
COOKING METHODS
 Stir-Frying (pad)
 with a wok or a large skillet
 Stewing (toon)
 large pan, covered placed over low heat
 Steaming (neung)
 ingredients are cooked by the vapor that rises from the boiling
liquid below
 Deep Frying (tod)
 food is cooked in a large amount of oil
 Grilling (yang)
 food is above or below a heat source
 Boiling (tom)
 soups and curry
 Salads (yum)
 always specially dressed in Thailand
AVAILABLE FOODS
Shrimp, Tuna, Other canned fish, Frozen fish,
cuttlefish
Rice
Chicken (prepared, preserved)
Pineapple (canned, preserved) pineapple
juice, mango
Sweet corn (canned), Baby corn (fresh,
canned)
Sugar, non-alcoholic beverages, seasoning,
palm oil, tapioca, feed
FAMILY ST YLE SERVING
 In Thailand, there is no such thing as an appetizer or
starter; neither is there any dish that belongs to only one
person.
 Thai diners order the same number of dishes as people
present; all dishes are shared and enjoyed together.
 There are no leftovers or bad luck will occur
 Thai food presentation is among the most exquisite in
the world
 Serving platters are decorated with all variety of carved
vegetables and fruits into flowers and other pieces of
beauty
 No one eats until the rice arrives. It is the heart of the
meal
MEALS
 Thai noodle- Kuay Tiew (soup) , Tom Kha Gai (most popular
soup)
 Thai stir fry
 Thai rice- Kao Phad
 Thai curry - Massaman Curry
 Thai chicken- Som Tam, Gai Med Ma Moung
 Thai pork
 Thai beef
 Thai fish- Tom Yam Goong
 Thai seafood
 Pad Thai – tofu, bean sprouts, onions, grounded peanuts,
noodles
Popular snacks include: spring rolls, chicken or beef satay, raw
vegetables with a spicy dip, soups, salads, and sweets
THAILAND’S FOOD GUIDE
2013
EXPORTS
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World leading exporter in rice
Major exporter of shrimp
One of the largest exporters of broiler meat and pork
Other crops that it exports are:
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Coconuts
Corn
Rubber
Soybean
Sugarcane
Tapioca
IMPORTS
 Animal Feed
 Soybeans
 Frozen Fish
 Concentrated Milk &
Cream
 Alcoholic Beverages
 Food Preparations
 Dishwashing & Packing
Materials
 Refrigerators & Freezers
 Wheat
 Food & Drink Preparation
Machines
 Carrots
 Apples & Pears
 Prepared Fruit
 Bread, Pastry, & Cakes
 Whey & Milk Products
 Agricultural & Poultry
Equipment
 Onions
 Extracts of Coffee
 Chocolate
 Grapes
 Mushrooms
 Cocoa
 Candy
BASIS OF THAI FOOD
 Four essential Thai tastes
 Salty, sour, spicy, sweet
 Thai Pastes
 Shallots, garlic, green or red chilies
 Can add coriander, Thai chili powder, galangal, green
peppercorns, lemongrass, and turmeric
 Fish and Shrimp
FLAVORS OF THAI
 Dried Spices
 Pepper (prig thai)
 Kaffir Lime (bai magrood)
 Cumin Seeds (yira)
 Nutmeg (loog junn)
 Cardamom (grawan)
 Bay Leaf (bai grawan)
 Clove (garn plu)
 Cinnamon (ob choei)
 Curry Powder (pong kari)
 Dried Chilies (prig haeng)
 Sesame seeds (nga)
 Saffron (ya faran)
 Fresh Plant
 Lemongrass (tha krai)
 Root
 Ginger (khing)
 Coconut (maprao)
 Chilies
WORKS CITED
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http://www.phuket.com/cuisine/toptenfood.htm
http://www.nfi.or.th/th/
http://www.boi.go.th/index.php?page=opp_food
http://oldwayspt.org/resources/heritage -pyramids/asian-dietpyramid
http://gain.fas.usda.gov/Recent%20GAIN%20Publications/Anim
al%20Feed%20Import%20Regulation_Bangkok_Thailand_2 -272013.pdf
http://thaifood.about.com/od/thaicookingessentials/a/herbspic
e.html
http://www.chiangmai -chiangrai.com/thai_flavors.html
http://countries.bridgat.com/Top_Products_Imported_by_Thailan
d.html#.UUEQ2hnK6U8
http://www.thaicongenvancouver.org/cms/index.php?option=con
tent&task=view&id=136
http://www.onlychaam.com/thailand -holidays.php