Seeing some variations in Thai food today makes me wonder and want to find out the reason behind such changes. I can say I'm not the only one wondering.
The most suspicious examples can be found in Bangkok. This food has been changing, even evolving, quickly and constantly. I believe it is due to the fact that the food industry is a cutthroat arena.
Those who want to survive have no choice but to adapt to best serve their customers. Cooking steps have been cut down to make the whole process as short as possible.
Sponsorships from the manufacturers of ingredients and/or seasonings really do matter. Many presenters of modern cooking shows adapt some cooking processes to build up their credibility.
To find out whether Thai food has changed or even some dishes lost forever, you'll have to find the right person to explain.
That person should be old enough to know the food of the previous generations, and young enough to understand what people are eating today. Also, personal opinion and attitude play a role. It's difficult to judge if something is 100% correct.
To find out about dishes eaten during earlier times, one of the best ways is studying cookbooks published more than 50 years ago. That's the best remaining evidence of the old recipes.
Cookbooks used to be very much in demand. Some five decades ago or even earlier, many publishing houses churned out countless cookbooks to serve readers who also doubled as home cooks. The authors were widely respected as culinary masters.
Recipes also appeared in funeral memorial books. They were not for sale but distributed to guests attending the services of veteran cooks. Al the recipes in such books featured exact measurements, as they were family recipes.
These books are, of course, getting rare. But it's not impossible to get a hold of some today.
Let's see some examples of recipes contained in old cookbooks. I'll start with gaeng (curry) and yam (spicy salad) to see what we used to have, what has changed, and what has already gone.
Gaeng keaw wan, or green curry, used to be made only with beef. Today this delicacy is difficult to find since fewer people consume beef. Instead we found green curries with pork, chicken or fishballs.
Fifty years ago you could still find pork green curry with pork liver and corn kernels. It is worth noticing that green curry in the past was made with curry paste that contained coriander roots and seeds, and cumin seeds. Modern green curry paste recipes don't usually call for such aromatics.
Today we have gaeng phet ped yang (red curry with roast duck). In fact, this dish is not new. In our grandmother's generation, iy was called gaeng kua, a type that differs from general red curry.
Gaeng kua is unique for its pleasant sourness from tart vegetables or fruits (or tamarind paste).
The old-fashioned recipe of gaeng phet ped yang normally featured radish, something you won't find in modern versions.
Panaeng is a type of saucy red curry. You can find panaeng moo (pork) everywhere nowadays.
In earlier times there used to be panaeng gai (chicken) with fresh lotus seeds. Interestingly, the panaeng paste recipe found in old cookbooks contains coriander seeds, cumin seeds and mace.
As a result, panaeng served in the past may have been even more aromatic than its contemporary counterpart. Fresh lotus seeds should also enhance unique flavour to the dish.
Yam, or spicy salad, was abundant in the old days. Yam hoi kraeng (spicy cockle salad) is usually frowned upon nowadays.
Cockles are cooked by quickly blanching them in boiling water. Unlike today, semi-cooked cockles with some remaining blood were cherished in the past.
The other ingredients for traditional yam hoi kraeng were the dressing whipped up from chillies, lime, fish sauce and some vegetables and herbs such as sliced lemongrass, onions and mint leaves.
The must-have item was the thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves, something that guarantees the dish's home-cooking quality. To get some young, tender kaffir lime leaves, you'll have to grow a tree in your backyard.
The list of nam prik (chili dip) recipes in old cookbooks is endless. Nam prik has long been a classic in the Thai kitchen.
A recipe called nam prik rakam (zalacca dip) explained that you'll have to pound dried shrimp until fine and set aside, then pound together garlic, shrimp paste and yellow chilies until smooth. Next you add some palm sugar and thinly sliced zalacca. Stir in the dried shrimp and fish sauce. That's it.
Nam prik rakam is rarely seen today as it is almost impossible to find the rakam. Consumers prefer the sweeter variety of zalacca called sala.
Trees of both fruits can be found in the same areas. However, farmers would choose to cut down the rakam trees. Accidental cross-pollination makes the sweet, luscious sala turn sour.
To a certain extent, all these examples should have answered the questions asked in the beginning. You can see that some recipes have changed. Some are lost. Without doubt, cookbooks remain the most excellent historical evidence of those delicious dishes from the past.
OLD GOLD: Cookbooks can illustrate how some Thai dishes have changed over the years. Photos: Suthon Sukphisit
