Street Food

It’s hard to not notice the Thai passion for food. Most first time visitors to Thailand are impressed with the sight of people cooking along street corners and alleys. The scent of garlic burning in hot oil, the fragrance of sweet sticky rice and mango (khao niauw ma mouang), the activity early morning at a local food market. The love of food does tells you a lot about sanuk, the joie de vivre Thais have. E.g. Thai language is soaked with proverbs regarding food.

A VIP is a sen yai (a big noodle), to camouflage something is pak chee roi nah (to straw coriander) … It seems like the whole country is either cooking or eating. Just like Italians can get poetic about the right olive oil or pasta, Thai people go crazy for the right noodle soup. Thais eat around the clock and travel the country to sample a specific dish. Just like Italians will have their café culture, Thai seem to have a food market culture. A place where people get together to socialize, drink and eat.

What is unique in Thailand is the abundance and wealth of food that’s on offer out in the streets. For a first time visitor the hustle and bustle of the street food is overwhelming. The language is often a barrier, hygiene standards not secure. After living in Thailand for two years I have never been ill from eating out in the streets, I have been I’ll from eating in very posh five star hotels.

By Tom Vandenberghe*

A possible explanation is that a food hawker does not sell a whole menu from A to Z but certain dishes, ingredients are limited to a minimum. A food hawker buys and needs less supply or ingredients then hotels. Of course this is not a genuine rule. In my opinion where there’s a natural buzz, where there’s lots of people eating it s usually safe to eat.

So take a deep breath and dive into Bangkok, one of Asia’s most contrasting and exhilarating metropolises. A first time traveler may find its bustling energy overwhelming at first, but addictive as anything. Amidst its glittering Buddhist temples and magnificent palaces meanders the city’s most secret and unique treasure: local street food, often referred to as the finest on earth.

No other culinary heritage is as rich as Bangkok’s, benefiting from the many cultural influences that immigrants from across Asia brought with them over the centuries. The multitude of flavors provided by fresh tamarind, coconut cream, holy basil, kaffir lime leaves, spicy chillies or fish sauce is a culinary revelation that impresses like fireworks and leaves you punch-drunk with pleasure.

No wonder that numerous travellers have fallen in love with Bangkok. And that is just what happened to me years ago. I visit Bangkok off the beaten track. My initial fascination with the city’s culture and food tradition was so profound, it never left me. Since my maiden trip I returned dozens of times, learned the language and the art of cooking. And I lived there for three years. And never fail to stress how lime, chilli and fish sauce are the three essentials that make Thai cuisine so sparkly and outstanding.

Bangkok street food reveals the city’s hidden world. In an attempt to keep hold of a dwindling tradition, I took up the idea of making a revealing documentary entitled “Bangkok Street Food.” The colorful pages of this book display the bustling multitude of dishes, flavors, cooking methods and local eating habits interlaced with native recipes and back-street secrets. And that with all the enthusiasm a travel guide can possibly show for a city.

People who love to eat but have only a short time in Thailand often end up buying the same dishes over and over, since there’s no real guide book in Thai street food. Pad thai and tom yam kung will be probably in everyone’s top 10. Even the restaurant scene has a parallel circuit in Thailand catering mostly towards tourists. To find the real stuff you have to dig al little deeper. In writing the book “Bangkok Street Food, Cooking & Traveling in Thailand,” I have tried to guide the first time visitor through the maze of street food and Thai cooking.

We categorized the street food by their cooking method (boiled, fried, steamed, …) as the cooking method together with the ingredients (software) is an indication of what will be served at a food stall. At the same time this book is a cooking book with authentic street food recipes. All photography has been done out in the streets, easy enough to recognize certain dishes. As a bonus we mention around 20 authentic street food addresses which we collected during our stay in Bangkok.

I sincerely hope that this book will stimulate people to try different Thai street food, as the heart en soul of Thai street food is out there, ready to be sampled by everyone. Hopefully this book can contribute in trying less obvious dishes as ka moo (stewed pork leg) or khao man gai (chicken en rice). For me the typical Thai ambiance is with friends at a food market. One more beautiful aspect of Thai street food is that even without a budget you can have the best food in the world.

The images are by Luk Thys, an experienced food photographer, esteemed for his contemporary cookbooks and numerous culinary editorials.

Styling is from the hand of Els Goethals, a reputed food stylist much appreciated for her resourceful creativity and author of many health cookbooks.

* “Bangkok Street Food, Cooking & Traveling in Thailand” by Tom Vandenberghe & Eva Verplaetse. Available in English. To order the book contact here.





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December 14, 2009 | Filed Under Books & Movies, Food & Drink, Truly Bangkok 

Comments

3 Responses to “Street Food”

  1. Tweets that mention Street Food -- Topsy.com on December 14th, 2009 3.09 pm

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  2. Steve on December 15th, 2009 2.32 am

    I recently wrote a piece on Bangkok street food that your readers might be interested in as well. They can find it here …

    http://www.thailandmusings.com/bangkok-street-food/

    In addition, my Thai wife has posted several authentic Thai recipes to the site such as khao man gai, boiled rice, tom yum kung, laab gai, namtok … lots of great recipes that your readers can make at home if they are pining for the tastes of Thailand.

  3. Talen on December 16th, 2009 9.09 am

    There is nothing like walking through Bangkok day or night and being assailed by the smells and sight of all the Thai street food. I love it all!

    In the West I guess you could say I am a picky eater but I love to try new things all the time in Thailand. Not only is the food safe to eat but it’s fresh food with no preservatives.

    People just wouldn’t believe how good real food is for your system. Whenever I leave Thailand after an extended stay I hate to think about the crap food and all the chemicals I have to look forward to at home.

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