The National Innovation Agency (NIA) is setting down standard recipes for the popular Thai dishes tom yam goong, massamun and pad thai, aiming to bring the same taste of Thai food at Thai restaurants worldwide.
Massamun curry was voted No. 1 of the world's 50 most delicious foods by CNNGo last year. (File photo)
Science and Technology Minister Woravat Au-apinyakul said only 20% of Thai restaurants in other countries can be considered as offering the authentic Thai taste, even though they may all serve well-prepared, delicious food.
He said Thai food is one of the top four cuisines in the world, popular in at least 93 countries and served in over 20,000 "Thai" restaurants.
However many of these Thai restaurants have non-Thai chefs, so they might not serve up the same, genuine taste, particularly the three most popular dishes.
Mr Woravat said he realised that diners of different nationalities have different preferences and restaurants cook to serve the tastes of their customers.
Tom yam goong is always a "must" in a Thai meal for both locals and foreigners. (File photo)
"The problem is restaurants in many areas spoil the taste of Thai foods, causing a misunderstanding about the food and dragging down the opportunity for the country to export more Thai food," he said.
The NIA, therefore, was formulating standard recipes for each the three top dishes, after extensive research into the tastes and demands of many nationalities. It expected to have them ready for distribution to the world by the end of April.
The agency believes its recipes would serve the demands of Thai food in major markets like the US, Europe and Japan.
The concept is to ensure that Thai food cooked in any kitchen should have the same taste. The recipes would be targeted for use in Thai restaurants overseas, he said.
The NIA has set up the "Thai Delicious" centre to support new businesses and services and offer certification on the taste of Thai foods, training for Thai and foreign chefs and to develop products and ready-to-use ingredients for Thai foods.
Pad thai with river shrimp is sold for 40 baht a plate at Bang Nokkwaek market in Samut Songkhram on weekends. (File photo)