The Effects of Food on Thai Cultures
by This multi part article looks in depth at the effects food has played in the cultures found in the lands currently known as Thailand.
Thailand and its Regions
There are approximately 65 million mouths to feed in Thailand and the majority of this population lives in rural areas that make up most of the 517, 000 sq km that is Thailand. The country has changed its name and borders many times in the country’s history and the first inhabitants of the land date back to approximately 10,000 years ago. There is some dispute, but archeologists believe that the inhabitants of the area, 4,000 years ago, were possibly the world’s first people to forge metal and farm land. Prior to this time it was common for hunter and gathering races to wander in search of food, use up the resources that were in the area and then migrate in search of more food, but the agriculturists of Thailand solved this problem by farming rice as early as 1657 ร.ศ.(2,200 B.C.) in Ban Prasat, Nakorn Ratchasima and Ban Chiang, Udon Thani, situated in the north-east of Thailand.
Image via Wikipedia
Linguistically and geographically, Thailand is divided into four regions: the north, the north-east (also known as Isaan), the south and central Thailand. There is also a region on the east coast that can be considered part of the central region. The cultures and traditions of each region differ slightly, but the cuisine and language differences are stark, with the regions bordering their respective countries adopting certain features of that bordering country.
Of all the areas, the north-east is the poorest of the four regions and the rice fields that dominate the area are subject to unpredictable weather conditions ranging from droughts to flood. The majority of north-eastern Thais speak Isaan (which is essentially a dialect of neighbouring Lao that uses the Thai alphabet) and many of Laos’ customs and traditions are adopted by the people of Isaan.
The north of Thailand is rich in history and is home to the second largest city in Thailand, Chiang Mai. The northern dialect is spoken very slowly in comparison to the fast flowing dialect of the south. Other languages are spoken by the vast number of hill tribes that occupy the north.
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