Thailand

Thai food is a melting pot of cultures, from Burma to the North, Cambodia and Vietnam to the East and Malaysia to the South. The philosophy behind Thai cooking is to balance the flavours of heat, sour, sweet, salty and bitter. Dishes are lightly cooked and seasoned with strong herbs and citrus fruits such as limes. Garlic, lemongrass and turmeric are among the herbs most commonly used in curry paste and stir fries. Ginger is also used in soup and in calming tea. Coriander and Thai basil are also heavily used to flavour traditional Thai dishes.