What does Thai food taste like? What are the most commonly used ingredients in this country often portrayed as the most exotic destination you could visit? In reality, among its gastronomy, there are several recognizable elements, such as rice, shrimp, or noodles, but you will also be surprised by the way they mix salty, sour, spicy, and sweet flavors in their meals.

With well-known dishes like pad thai and the use of blue ginger, here is a taste of the popular ingredients and dishes of Thai cuisine.

Rice
Used in soups or served as a side dish, rice is always present in the offerings of Thai food. It can be simply boiled, but it is also eaten fried or in soups.

Galangal
Also known as blue ginger, galangal is a spice widely used in Thai cuisine, which has a flavor and aroma similar to ginger. Added to rice or soups, it provides a spicy and aromatic flavor.

Green Curry
Mainly used in Thai cooking, green curry is a variety of curry made with coconut milk, eggplant, sugar, blue ginger or galangal, fish sauce, and Thai basil, among other ingredients. Green curry with chicken is one of the most common ways to enjoy it.

Pad Thai
Pad Thai is the most famous Thai dish; its name means “stir-fried noodles in the Thai style” and includes a combination of ingredients such as egg, tofu, peanuts, and bean sprouts. Its flavor features fish sauce and dried shrimp, the acidity of fresh tamarind paste and lime juice, the sweetness of palm sugar, and it is slightly spicy, as Thai food also uses chilies.

Tom Yum
This is a soup made with lemongrass, galangal root, kaffir lime leaves, bird's eye chilies, and other ingredients, as there are many variations of this soup, which can include shrimp (Tom Yum Goong), chicken (Tom Yum Gai), fish (Tom Yum Pla) or mixed seafood (Tom Yum Taleh) and mushrooms.

Tom Kha Gai
Another popular soup among Thais, this is prepared with galangal spice (kha) and coconut milk as its main flavors and base.

Som Tam
This dish is a spicy papaya salad, eaten in northeastern Thailand. It features a combination of flavors: the spiciness of red chili, a salty touch from fish sauce, the acidity of lime or tamarind, and the sweetness of palm sugar. It can be mixed with crab, peanuts, dried shrimp, and rice noodles, and the main ingredient can be mango, cucumber, or other vegetables instead of green papaya.