Food Tips
Thai Food
Thai food is renowned all around the globe for its distinctive flavours, which are a mix of spicy and sour tastes. Each area of Thailand has its own culinary specialties.
To get the most out of your visit to Thai Harbour it helps to know a little about how the Thais prepare, select and eat their food. Thai food is an essential ingredient in Thai culture and everyday life - something which is taken very seriously. As a consequence of this, it has developed into a world class cuisine and is fastest growing sector of the UK’s food market.
Some people believe Thai food to be spicy. In some cases it is, but there are many dishes that are not spicy at all.
Eating Thai food is a social occasion, the meal being shared with family and/or friends. Ordering the right dishes also important and easy to do with the guidelines provided. Additionally our staff are trained to assist you in selecting your dishes.
A History
Thai food is internationally famous and the cuisine is essentially a marriage of centuries-old Eastern and Western influences combined into something that is uniquely Thai.
Originally, Thai cooking reflected the characteristics of a waterborne lifestyle. Aquatic animals, plant and herbs were major ingredients. Large chunks of meat were eschewed. Subsequent influences introduced the use of sizeable chunks to Thai cooking. With their Buddhist background, Thais shunned the use of big chunks. Big cuts of meat were shredded and laced with herbs and spices. Traditional Thai cooking methods were stewing and baking, or grilling.
Herbs & Spices
At the heart of Thai cuisine are the nutritious and healthy herbs, spices and flavourings that provide a dazzling array of delicious and exotic tastes that make Thai cuisine so unique.
Marsh Mint (Sa-ra-nae)
The fresh leaves are used as flavouring and eaten raw in Thai cuisine. Volotile oil contents give the plant several therapeutic uses, including carminative, mild antiseptic, local anaesthetic, diaphoretic and digesting properties.
Kaffir Lime (Makrut)
The leaves, peel and juice of the Kaffir Lime are used as flavouring in Thai cuisine. The leaves and peel contain volatile oil. The major therapeutic benefit of the juice is as an appetiser.
Sacred Basil (Ka-phrao)
Sacred Basil is an annual herbaceous plant that resembles Sweet Basil but has a narrower and reddish-purple leaves. The fresh leaves, which are used as flavouring, contain approximately 0.5% volatile oil, which exhibits antimicrobial activity, specifically as a carminative, diaphoretic, expectorant and stomachic.
Lime (Ma-nao)
Lime is used principally as a garnish for fish and meat dishes. The fruit contains Hesperiden and Naringin, scientifically proven anti-inflammatory flavanoids.
Greater Galanga (Kha)
Greater Galanga is commonly used in Thai cooking as a flavouring. The approximately 0.04% volatile oil content has therapeutic uses as carminative, stomachic, anti-rheumatic and antimicrobial agents.
Garlic (Kra-thiam)
Dried mature garlic bulbs are used as a flavouring and condiment in Thai cuisine. The bulbs contain 0.1 to 0.36% garlic oil and organic sulphur compounds. Therapeutic uses are as antimicrobial, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, anti-flatulence and cholesterol lowering agents.
Chili (Phrik)
Chilli is used for garnishing and flavouring in Thai dishes. There are many different species of chilli. All contain capsaicin, a biologically active ingredient beneficial to the respiratory system, blood pressure and heart.
Lemongrass (Takhrai)
This erect annual plant resembling a course grey-green grass is used as flavouring. Lemongrass contains 0.2 - 0.4% volatile oil.
Sweet Basil (Ho-ra-pha)
Its fresh leaves are either eaten raw or used as flavouring in Thai cooking. Volatile content varies between varieties.