Thailand, stories and pictures

The first inhabitants of Thailand, then called T’ai, came from Southern China. They crossed the river Mekong in search of more fertile land and settled in the Chao Prayo basin, at that moment controlled by King Angkor of the Khmer kingdom. During the twelfth century, his power dwindled and by the middle of the thirteenth century, the Thai became independent. The first independent Siamese kingdom Sukothai was established, headed by king Ramakhamhaeng (Rama of the bold).
Around the middle of the 14th century, to the south of Sukothai a new kingdom emerged, Ayutthaya, also on the Chao Prayo river, and the city Ayutthaya became the capital and even turned Sukothai into a vassal state later. It flourished for four centuries, until it got burned down by the Burmese. The reason was a fight over a white elephant, which was in the possession of the king of Ayutthaya. This animal was sacred as it is believed to be the final reincarnation of Buddha. The king clung to his elephant but had to pay with his death. After the devastation of the city and its surroundings, general Taksin saw the void and tried his luck. He conquered the whole region and consequently declared himself king, later on he even believed himself to be the equal of Buddha. This was too much for his people, and one of his generals, Chao Praya Chakri, deposed him, became the new king Rama I and founded the new Chakri dynasty, which still exists today. Rama I moved the capital of the country across the river in 1782, to Bangkok.

Three main rivers ran close to or through Ayutthaya and therefore it was actively involved in trade, as well with India and China as with the Europeans. This trade had a major influence on Thai food. The Portuguese brought the chili to Thailand around 1500 (they themselves probably brought it from South America), which is now a major ingredient of Thai dishes, making many tourists suffer and sweat, but also enjoy enormously. Just try a hot and sour prawn soup, and you will know what spicy is!

The first inhabitants of Thailand, then called T’ai, came from Southern China. They crossed the river Mekong in search of more fertile land and settled in the Chao Prayo basin, at that moment controlled by King Angkor of the Khmer kingdom. During the twelfth century, his power dwindled and by the middle of the thirteenth century, the Thai became independent. The first independent Siamese kingdom Sukothai was established, headed by king Ramakhamhaeng (Rama of the bold). Around the middle of the 14th century, to the south of Sukothai a new kingdom emerged, Ayutthaya, also on the Chao Prayo river, and the city Ayutthaya became the capital and even turned Sukothai into a vassal state later. It flourished for four centuries, until it got burned down by the Burmese. The reason was a fight over a white elephant, which was in the possession of the king of Ayutthaya. This animal was sacred as it is believed to be the final reincarnation of Buddha. The king clung to his elephant but had to pay with his death. After the devastation of the city and its surroundings, general Taksin saw the void and tried his luck. He conquered the whole region and consequently declared himself king, later on he even believed himself to be the equal of Buddha. This was too much for his people, and one of his generals, Chao Praya Chakri, deposed him, became the new king Rama I and founded the new Chakri dynasty, which still exists today. Rama I moved the capital of the country across the river in 1782, to Bangkok. Three main rivers ran close to or through Ayutthaya and therefore it was actively involved in trade, as well with India and China as with the Europeans. This trade had a major influence on Thai food. The Portuguese brought the chili to Thailand around 1500 (they themselves probably brought it from South America), which is now a major ingredient of Thai dishes, making many tourists suffer and sweat, but also enjoy enormously. Just try a hot and sour prawn soup, and you will know what spicy is!

At this moment, King Rama IX (Bhumibol Adulyadej) is king of the country. Rama IV (Mongkut) became famous as the king who hired, in the middle of the 19th century, the famous governess from England Anna Leonowens. Anna wrote the well known story (the English governess at the Siamese court) about her life in Siam and her relationship with the king and his children. Later on, the book was rewritten by Margaret Landon (1943) and a musical, a television series and a film were based upon her experiences. Not everybody is sure about the authenticity of the story and the film was even banned in Thailand in 1999. The first five kings of the Chakri dynasty had many wives. Rama IV, who spent 27 years in monastery and only acquired his first wife at the age of 46, had 108 wives and 82 children. The unpromising future as wife 109 probably forced governess Anna to leave for England. The name Siam (meaning gold or brown) was used until 1949, after which it was officially changed to Thailand. The Thai flag looks a little like a compilation of two Dutch flags, one upside down. The flags were everywhere in the Bangkok, a very colorful sight.

Buddhism is the main religion in Thailand, practiced by 90-95% of the population, but there are also other religions: about 4% of the population are Muslim, mainly living in the south of Thailand (more than 30% of the population in South Thailand are Muslim). The remaining 1% are Confucians, Taoists, Christians, and Hindus. The Buddhist sign of respect, the "wai" (see lady to the right) is used as a form of greeting and always with a smile. Apparently, the higher the hands, the greater the respect. Buddhism forbids taking a life and some Buddhists adhere to this rule very strictly and are vegetarians. In Thailand, the Buddhists eat meat, and say that the animal was already dead when they bought it. Even though the Thai kitchen is not vegetarian though, it has many vegetarian recipes. There are many Chinese in Thailand, already from the time of Sukothai. Chinese influence can be found throughout the Thai kitchen. Dumplings, roast duck, noodles and rapid stir fries are probably brought in by the Chinese. Food in Thailand differs per region, in the south for instance a lot of chili pepper is used, in the north the food is less hot as the climate is cooler and there are enough different fresh vegetables so it is less necessary to “spice up the rice”. There is sea fish in coastal area and sweet water fish in the middle of the country. But there is one food item that is extensively used in all regions, and that is rice. No meal is complete without rice. Thai food is very tasty, and can be a little bit spicy. But be brave and after the first bites you will love it. A less spicy but also delicious dish for instance is the green chicken curry. A lot of fresh products are used, like fresh vegetables and herbs, and many kinds of fish and prawns are very popular in the Thai kitchen. Furthermore you will find ingredients like coconut, lemon leaves, lemon grass, tamarind, ginger, fresh basil, mint and coriander, fish sauce and shrimp paste. Most of the ingredients nowadays can be bought in Asian shops or larger supermarkets.
For delicious recipes of Thai food, please click HERE or on the pictures below.