All meats we use in our recipes:
The common meat that you are likely to find in Thailand is chicken or pork.
Due to the Hindu Buddhism country, beef is not commonly eaten in Thailand. Only a few restaurants serve beef. Southern parts of Thailand are more likely to eat beef than pork.
Seafood is common everywhere in Thailand, especially in the southern part of Thailand.
Freshwater fish is also another source of meat in Thailand, especially in the Northern and Eastern parts of Thailand like catfish, freshwater prawns, tilapia fish, frogs, etc.
Eggs and tofu are big supplements for protein needed from meat.
I love telling foreigners that. If you get 5-7 tiny pieces of pork, chicken, and shrimp in your order at a restaurant in Thailand. You got lucky. It’s your lucky day. The average there is in every dish is 4-5 tiny pieces of meat. Don’t be surprised if you order Shrimp Pad Thai. It comes out with 2-3 tiny shrimps. It is not a joke. They are not trying to cheat on you. It’s just the way it is. Thai food doesn’t cook or served with too much meat like western food. They add a few pieces just for flavor.
Most of the dishes in this cookbook can be made without meat or can be substituted with tofu. Or skip the meat if you would like to make it a vegan and vegetarian version.
List of Meats – เนื้อสัตว์ – Neua Sad
Beef – เนื้อวัว – Neua Wua
Beef is the culinary name for cattle meat. Humans have been eating beef since prehistoric times, as it is a source of protein and essential nutrients. Thai people don’t like to eat much beef, and you will rarely find dishes that have beef in them. However, Northeastern Thailand consumes more beef, but it is raised for personal consumption.
Chicken – เนื้อไก่ – Neua Gai
Chicken is a type of poultry meat. Because of its relatively low cost, it is one of the most used meats in the world, and the most widely consumed one in Thailand. Nearly all parts of the bird can be eaten, all of them cooked in many different ways.
Egg – ไข่ -Kai
Eggs are laid by female animals of many different species. The mass production of chicken eggs is a global industry. Bird’s eggs are a common food and one of the most versatile ingredients used in cooking. They are important in many branches of the modern food industry. The most commonly used egg in Thailand is the chicken egg and quail egg. You might also find duck eggs.
Fish – เนื้อปลา – Neua Plaa
Fish is consumed as food by many species, including humans (about 85% of the fish caught is used for human consumption). It is an important source of protein and other nutrients. The fish that are most commonly used in Thai cuisine are Tilapia, Clarias or Cat Fish, Tuna and Tullibee. They can be prepared in a variety of ways. The Thai way of cooking fish is by simply deep-frying, BBQing or steaming the whole body, with bone and head. Boneless fish is not part of Thai traditional cuisine.
Pork – เนื้อหมู – Neua Moo
Pork is the culinary name for meat from a domestic pig. It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide. The pig is one of the oldest forms of livestock, having been domesticated as early as 5000 BC. It is highly prized in Asian cuisines for its fat content and pleasant texture. Consumption of pork is forbidden by Jewish and Muslim dietary law, a taboo that is deeply rooted in tradition. The Southern part of Thailand doesn’t consume much pork. In other parts of Thailand, however, pork is in all kinds of dishes. Wild pork meat is the most expensive.
Pork Rib – ซี่โครงหมู – Si Khorng Moo
The ribs are a bone that curves around from the back to the chest. It’s the least meaty part of the meat chop. Thai cuisines use pork ribs than beef or lamb.
Pork Spine – กระดูกสันหลังหมู – Gra Do Sanlung Moo
Pork spine or pork back-bone in Thai is called Leng. Thai people use pork pack-pone to make broth as a base for serving noodle soup for street vendors.
Prawn – กุ้ง – Gung
The name “Shrimp” and “Prawn” are often used interchangeably. They are both crustaceans found in salt and fresh water, and the difference is biological, not culinary. Things labeled prawns are usually larger, but aren’t necessarily true prawns and plenty of shrimp aren’t shrimpy in size at all. Southern Thailand uses salt water shrimp or prawn, which is the most consumed in Thailand. Northern Thailand’s prawns and shrimp come from fresh water.”
Squid – ปลาหมึก – Plaa Meuk
Calamari (the culinary name) or squid are cephalopods in the superorder Decapodiformes with elongated bodies, large eyes, eight arms, and two tentacles. The Squid is the most consumed seafood in Thailand, for stir-fry, BBQ, making soup, or even sundried it and make a snack.
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