The ideal traditional
Thai meal aims at being a harmonious blend of spicy, sweet,
and sour and is meant to be appealing to the eye, nose, and
palate.
A large central bowl of rice
may be accompanied by a clear soup (perhaps containing bitter
melons stuffed with minced pork), a steamed dish (mussels
in curry sauce), a fried dish (fish with ginger), a hot salad
(sliced beef on a bed of greens with chilies, onions, mint,
lime juice, and more chilies), and a variety of sauces and
condiments, of which the most essential is nam pla (fermented
fish sauce), used as a dip. This is normally followed by a
sweet dessert (bananas coated with sugared coconut and deep
fried, for example) and, finally, fresh fruit (such as mangoes,
durian, papaya, jackfruit, watermelon and many more) of which
Thailand boasts a year-round supply.
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