said what is the most impressive taste of Thai food, many people may say that it is spicy, this kind of spicy is multi-level, because there are other ingredients and ingredients together, such as hot and sour, sweet and spicy, fresh fish sauce Spicy and so on. But spicy has become one of the representative flavors of Thai food. Almost all dishes and fried rice noodles will add a little spicy. So, why is authentic Thai food so spicy?
Spiciness is not only found in Thai cuisine, any dish that originates from a country near the equator is spicy. Be it India, Thailand, Italy or Mexico. There are two main reasons here:
1, spicy time helps keep food fresh
In tropical countries, food tends to spoil quickly due to high heat and humidity. Before the invention of the refrigerator, the spiciness of chili peppers kept food fresh for longer, and sometimes the spiciness masked odors, acting as a natural preservative.
2, spicy food can promote blood circulation, help regulate sweating , keep the body cool
capsaicin is a chemical in spicy food, it can speed up blood circulation, make blood flow from the body to the surface of the skin faster . It also dilates the capillaries on the skin. This makes us sweat faster and helps us shed heat faster.
Most Thai people really like spicy food, both men and women like spicy food. When you go to restaurant to eat, there will be chili sauce or chili noodles on the table, diners can add it by themselves, and the spiciness can be determined according to their own taste. There are also many kinds of chili peppers used by Thai people, just like our Hunan people and Sichuan people , they play with chili peppers.
However, eating spicy food is good for your health.Large amounts of capsaicin help suppress bacteria in the gut, which is probably why most cultures in the tropics choose for spicy food .
Among the representative dishes in Thailand, in addition to desserts, stir-fried dishes are almost all spicy, such as Thai-style chili fried pork, Tom Yum Kung , chili sauce fried rice, Thai-style minced meat and eggs, sour fish soup , Hot and sour curry soup, papaya salad, and more. No matter how the ingredients are changed, there is still some spicy.
The spiciness in Thailand is rarely direct spiciness, but mostly a combination of various flavors. For example, there are four core flavors in Thai cuisine: spicy, sour, sweet, and salty. A variety of ingredients and ingredients are combined together, and the spicy taste will have a different experience.
Thai people say that it is a little spicy, but it is actually quite spicy. Sometimes I say "mai ow prik" to the boss - I don't want chili, but when I get it, it is still very spicy, because many dishes lack chili and lack the soul, the boss will put a little chili more or less. Note that your "a little spicy" and a Thai's "a little spicy" are not the same standard at all, "a little spicy" tends to end up being very spicy. Be careful when ordering. Of course, for those who can eat spicy food, please feel free.
