The History Of Thai Food And Its Many Influences

Whether you like your food spicy, sweet, sour, or salty, Thai food has all these flavors and more. Unique in nature because it appeals to everyones food instincts, Thai cuisine is not just bursting with flavor, but every mouthful of it creates an explosive sensation in the mouth, whether its a stir-fry dish, a noodle/rice dish, or a curry. Undoubtedly, its this explosion of taste that is pushing Thai food on the list of most popular cuisines in the world as well as in North America. So who or what gets the credit of having developed such a fantastic blend of flavors that appeal to everyones taste buds? What factors inspired the Thai people to create such fantastic gourmet combinations and the seamless blend of flavors, tastes, and aromas? Why wait; lets find out!

The culinary culture of this royal country boasts of a rich and ancient history. History has it that Thais had already begun to enjoy the Siamese cuisine during the 13th century. Siamese cuisine consisted of servings of seafood and meat dishes along with fresh local vegetables, spices and herbs such as pepper and garlic, on a bed of rice. Due to open borders with neighboring countries, Thailands style of cooking started absorbing influences from India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Burma, and China. Thai food began being cooked with spices, ingredients, and even cookware from these countries. For example, the Thais learned to use, now their most important culinary tool – the steel wok as well as learnt how to create noodles. India contributed in the form of turmeric, chillies, cumin, coriander, and many other Indian spices. However, in addition to adapting the best cooking styles from others, Thais didnt forgo their styles completely. Instead they combined the best of both worlds and created Thai food as we know of it today. An example of this fact is that though Thai food uses noodles in the dishes, these noodles are made from rice and not wheat or egg as with Chinese or Italian dishes.

Other important influences that contributed to the growth and taste of Thai food include spicy flavors of Burmese sambals or red chilly sauces; exotic rice dishes inspired by Indonesian cuisine, and Malaysian curries. In fact, interestingly, one of the most well-known Thai Red Curry dishes is called Penang after the Malaysian state!

Food, as with life, adapts, develops, and enhances itself with time and cultural influences. With the sharing of knowledge, ingredients, and interaction, cuisines mature just like Thai cuisine has.

For more such interesting information on Thai food history and other interesting facts visit our Thai Food website- http://www.templeofthai.com/

Food In India And The Snack Industry

Culinary methods and varieties differ from nation to nation. You will find a great difference in taste, cooking, garnishing, and the ingredients used. With changing lifestyles, the traditional eating has witnessed a revolutionary change. You need not spend hours in the kitchen, as you get ready-to-eat snacks to appease your appetite. So, when you are in a hurry or just spend some leisure time at home or at the restaurant, you will love savoring snacks and sweets food.

Food in India is different from rest of the world; you get countless varieties. You can satisfy your palate as per your choice. It is not only meals but also snacks and sweets that are specific to one particular state in the country. And food in India is a legacy carried from generation to generation. In few of the culinary specialties, you will get a blend of various cultures and ages. It would not be an exaggeration if the statement of food in India that of being influenced by numerous civilizations is made. Tourists who have visited the various parts of the country have spoken volume about snacks and sweets food.

No Indian festival or marriage ceremony is complete without sweets. Right from serving to gifting, sweets food have found their way into the homes of all Indians. And given the increasing demand, there are brands that have maintained a market rapport with a quality collection of sweets. Going by the online trend, you also get sweets and snack food online no matter where you are located. Most of these brands have their own chain of outlets spread across the country or franchise centres. These brands also represent the wonderful food in India, most etching distinctive identities not only in the Indian market but also globally.

The Indian snack industry is one of the largest when considered in the global level. As aforementioned with rising standard of living, people are more resorting to snacks items during breakfast, supper or any time; snacks most often take the place of meals. Right from production, using up, export and growth prospects owing to emerging markets, increasing demand, and incorporation of latest technologies, the snack industry in India has witnessed a dramatic change. Ready-to-eat foods, samosas, kachoris, namkeen, chips, are few of the snacks that are most preferred by Indians. Given the rising demand, the snack industry is going to witness further growth in the future.

If you are looking for franchise business opportunities in the snack industry that also encompasses sweets, you can go online and look for such deals. You can also visit the corporate sites of the leading brands to find out if franchise business opportunities are offered or not. It is like starting your own business especially a lucrative business. The greatest advantage of purchasing a franchise is that you become your own boss but representing an already established brand. So, you need not create a market as the market is already created for you!!

What is Indian vegetarian food all about

We all know that the largest number of vegetarians stay in India. So while we are wondering what kind of food they eat – here are some insights that you would like to know.

Indian vegetarian food is mostly influenced by factors like region, caste, religion, etc. There are many varieties of vegetables and spices that are used to make the Indian cuisine. Those who know Indian culture well would understand how much efforts are put into making the food perfect. After all, everyone loves to have a wholesome meal here.

There are many dishes in the typical Indian vegetarian food. The North has a lot of spicy sabzis that include paneer kadai, paneer makhanwala, dal, yellow dal makhani, chole, rajma etc. This is eaten with Indian bread of naan, roti, chapatti, kulcha etc. The east has a lot of sea food and chaat while the West has a spicy range of food items. The South has a lot of rice varieties and curries that include avial, sambar, rasam, idlis, dosas etc. The list here is very few there are way more items that are included in these region specific cuisines. India has so much of diversity in its platter that one can never taste all the items of the country even in their entire lifetime.

That is exactly where and how thali restaurants come into the picture. Thali is a complete meal right from starters to dessert that is served in one big plate. Indian food is always freshly cooked and people believe in eating food that is served hot. There are different kinds of thalis served in different restaurants. That of course depends upon the audience that they cater to.

Thali restaurants serve delicacies that are native to a particular region. The food items are served in small bowls. The thali usually comprises of chapatis, some starters, sabzis, salad, yogurt, rice, dal and a sweet dish. A beverage called chaas is usually served along with it too. The recipes of these Indian dishes have been passed on from generations. Its rich taste is always something that cna never be replaced by the fast food phenomenon.

Thali restaurants do well because many of them often serve unlimited thalis – which means one can eat till they are completely satisfied. The charge for the thali is same irrespective of the difference in appetites. During the festive season especially they do very well.

Thalis mostly consist of the Indian vegetarian food. They are mostly preferred during lunch or dinner because those are the times when people prefer having heavy meals. This is one reason now there are growing numbers of patrons who are visiting thali restaurants. Because paying a limited amount you get to eat how much ever you want. Though the number of health conscious people has increased, there is a huge chunk of population that still prefers having heavy meals that satisfy one’s stomach. Thali restaurants will surely have a roaring business in future too. Indian vegetarian food is just too vast and tasty to compete with.