Before chillies: where Thai food got its heat, and when chillies arrived
Chillies came from the Americas and reached Asia with Portuguese traders in the 16th century. Before that, Thai heat came from pepper, long pepper, ginger and galangal.
5 min readWhat makes fish sauce smell: Thai research on its key odour compounds
Thai researchers fermented fish sauce from anchovies of three coasts for 18 months, sniffed it compound by compound with GC-O, and found 18 standouts that vary by catch.
6 min readKhanom jeen is not Chinese: a Mon name and a fermented rice noodle
Khanom jeen is a rice noodle widely traced to the Mon. What the name means, fermented versus fresh noodles, what fermentation does, and why it keeps only days.
5 min readKhao chae: from Mon Songkran rice to a royal dish, and when it reached the court
Khao chae began as the Mon Songkran rice. Sources split on whether it reached the palace under Rama II or Rama IV. Plus clay pots, candle-smoked water and side dishes.
6 min readMae Khrua Hua Pa: Siam's 1908 cookbook, its weighed recipes and lost dishes
Lady Plean's cookbook began as a magazine column around 1888-89 and became a book in 1908. How to convert its baht weights to grams, and why some dishes vanished.
6 min readTom yum kung and UNESCO: what the 2024 heritage file actually records
Tom yum kung joined UNESCO's intangible heritage list in December 2024. What the file says about who it belongs to, how it is passed on, and what Thailand must protect.
5 min readThai one-plate meals: khao man gai, kra pao, khao kha moo, fried rice, rad na
Five one-plate dishes found on every street: what each is, what comes with it, what you can choose, the words to order (khai dao, phiset) and allergy questions.
6 min readThai curries compared: green, red, panang, massaman, jungle and sour curry
Which Thai curries use coconut milk and which do not, how hot each runs, and what sets each paste apart. Six common curries in one table, plus shrimp paste and peanuts.
5 min readSeven Thai desserts worth knowing, from mango sticky rice to foi thong
Mango sticky rice, bua loi, thapthim krop, lot chong, khanom chan, thong yip and foi thong: what goes in them, which came from Portuguese egg sweets, what to watch.
6 min readThe four Thai table condiments: how to use them, and a prik nam pla ratio
Sugar, fish sauce, chili vinegar and chili flakes: what each adds, which dishes they suit, how to season without oversalting, and a prik nam pla ratio.
5 min readTom yum clear or creamy, and why tom kha is not just tom yum with coconut
Clear tom yum is sharp, sour and hot; creamy adds milk for a softer taste. The herbs you leave in the bowl, prawn or seafood, how tom kha differs, and how to order.
6 min read