Thailand is one of my favorite travel destinations in Asia. I simply cannot get enough of its rich culture, unique language, colorful traditions and customs, amazing sights and most especially the heavily spiced sumptuous cuisine that is uniquely Thai. This is why a visit to Thailand would always be a gastronomic delight.

After you’ve gone shopping and after you’ve tried that extremely entertaining elephant ride and after you’ve been here and there in Thailand, the time will come for you to pack your things from your reliable Thailand hotel and head back home. For sure, you are bound to feel growls of hunger forming in your stomach and realize how much you’ll miss all those Thai delicacies that you’ve come to love during your stay. You’ll be crazy not to bring home goodies to satisfy your Thai cravings!

Here is a list of some of my favorite delicacies that usually take up so much space in my luggage whenever I come back home from Thailand:

THAI TAMARIND

This is a delicacy that is truly a favorite among tourists. Tamarind or ma-kahm is an oblong-shaped and partly curved fruit commonly found in tropical countries. The color is reddish brown with seeds that are encased in a sticky and dark brown flesh that can either be sour or very sweet. Sour tamarind is usually used in Thai cooking like for sauces, soups, etc. The kind of tamarind that I would like to bring home is the sweet plump tamarind or makahm wahn which can be enjoyed just like any regular fruit. You can buy this in flea markets by the kilo or in supermarkets where the tamarind fruits are conveniently packed in gift boxes and sold alongside other fruits and even chocolates.

Thai tamarind candies are also the best! The moist tamarind flesh is combined with sugar and cooked over heat to caramelize the sugar. The candy is then individually wrapped and placed in cylinders. There are two kinds of tamarind candy – the sweet tamarind candy and the spicy tamarind candy. Of course, I prefer the latter.

FLOSSY PORK

Mouthwatering flossy pork are packed in plastic bags and come in two varieties – the old fashioned soft flossy pork or the crispy one. But actually, flossy pork is just pork meat that is slowly cooked with special spices, sugar and unique sauces until the meat becomes tender enough for the fibers to easily come apart and look flossy. This delicacy is so tasty that it can be added to breads, crackers, spring rolls, or can be eaten as a yummy snack.

PAD THAI NOODLES

This is one of the best known noodle dishes in Thailand and is popularly sold in the streets by vendors with food carts. I like to bring home instant Pad Thai Noodles. Given that these are very easy to prepare, I can enjoy it any time of the day and is equally satisfying as a midnight snack.

THAI CHILI PASTE

When you dine in restaurants in Thailand, more often than not you’ll see a small portion of chili paste readily available on a small serving dish. This paste is made from regular ingredients like garlic, onions, soybean oil, can sugar, dried shrimp, peanuts, tamarind, chili etc. I like it so much that I mix the chili paste to hot steamed rice. It is also great as a stir-frying seasoning for soup-based dishes. I bring home a few bottles not only for myself but for my friends and relatives who prefer to give a different kick to their meals.

CHILI DIPPING SAUCE AND SRIRACHA CHILI SAUCE

Your regular fried spring rolls will not be the same again once you’ve tried dipping them in a bowl of sweet, sour and spicy Thai chili dipping sauce. I also love using the chili dipping sauce for fried chicken, fried fish, tempura, squid/fish balls, etc.

Prik Sriracha or Thai Chili Sauce, on the other hand, brings out the flavors of every dish. Locals usually say that this is similar to the Tobasco Sauce but is not that sour. Its basic ingredients include chili peppers, garlic, vinegar, sugar and salt. I love using the Thai Chili sauce as seasoning for my fried rice or fried noodles.

Be prepared to pay for overweight baggage with all these goodies to fill up your suitcase together with your other shopping finds. As for me, I really didn’t mind at all. I took comfort in knowing that when I’m back home craving for a taste of Thailand that I can simply open a pack of flossy pork or Thai tamarind and dig in. One bite would be enough to transport me back to Thailand and make me re-live my adventures all over again.

Posted in Food, Thailand

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 10th, 2008 at 12:01 am and is filed under Food, Thailand. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.