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One of the great culinary treats of Thailand comes with its abundance of seafood. From 5-star restaurants to street stalls, the varieties of dishes and styles of cooking are immense.
Northeastern Thai and Lao food is generally of the simple, spicy, peasant variety enjoyed by the inhabitants of this relatively poor region. The most famous dishes include <i>somtam</i>– papaya salad with fish sauce, garlic, chilli peppers, peanuts and <i>puu na</i> field crab added to taste. This is often eaten with <i>kai yang</i>– grilled chicken, the best of which is said to come from Sisaket, close to the Lao frontier.<br/><br/> Perhaps the most classic of Isaan dishes is <i>larb</i>– spiced minced meat generally served with salad and a side plate of raw vegetables. Unlike Bangkok and the South, <i>khao niaw</i>, or 'sticky rice' – a glutinous variant served in small woven bamboo baskets and eaten with the hand – is the main accompaniment to every meal.
Northeastern Thai and Lao food is generally of the simple, spicy, peasant variety enjoyed by the inhabitants of this relatively poor region. The most famous dishes include <i>somtam</i>– papaya salad with fish sauce, garlic, chilli peppers, peanuts and <i>puu na</i> field crab added to taste. This is often eaten with <i>kai yang</i>– grilled chicken, the best of which is said to come from Sisaket, close to the Lao frontier.<br/><br/> Perhaps the most classic of Isaan dishes is <i>larb</i>– spiced minced meat generally served with salad and a side plate of raw vegetables. Unlike Bangkok and the South, <i>khao niaw</i>, or 'sticky rice' – a glutinous variant served in small woven bamboo baskets and eaten with the hand – is the main accompaniment to every meal.
The food of Northern Thailand, like the language, traditional dress and architecture, is quite distinct from that of Bangkok and central Thailand.<br/><br/> Northern Thai cuisine differs from central Thai cuisine in that it is clearly influenced by the traditions of neighbouring Burma, Laos and Yunnan. To begin with, the staple is not <i>khao suai</i>, the soft, fragrant boiled rice of the central plains so familiar to Westerners. Instead, the Khon Muang prefer to eat <i>khao niaw</i>, or glutinous sticky rice. This is steamed, served in tiny wicker baskets, and eaten with the fingers along with a selection of spicy dips and curries.
The food of Northern Thailand, like the language, traditional dress and architecture, is quite distinct from that of Bangkok and central Thailand.<br/><br/> Northern Thai cuisine differs from central Thai cuisine in that it is clearly influenced by the traditions of neighbouring Burma, Laos and Yunnan. To begin with, the staple is not <i>khao suai</i>, the soft, fragrant boiled rice of the central plains so familiar to Westerners. Instead, the Khon Muang prefer to eat <i>khao niaw</i>, or glutinous sticky rice. This is steamed, served in tiny wicker baskets, and eaten with the fingers along with a selection of spicy dips and curries.
In the narrow mountain valleys of Son La, Dien Bien and Lai Chau provinces of North Vietnam the Tai remain a very noticeable and confident minority. They are divided into White Tai and Black Tai communities, while further south, by the Lao frontier in Thanh Hoa and Nghe An Provinces, Red Tai predominate.<br/><br/> These subgroups are distinguished by the dress of their women. Vietnam’s Tai are people of the mountain valleys. Farming wet rice paddy fields they are relatively prosperous, enjoying more security and an appreciably higher standard of living than the people of the mountaintops. They are culturally confident, too, and well known throughout the north for their fine weaving and embroidery, sophisticated music and dance, as well as their business acumen in the marketplace.<br/><br/> Closely related to the neighbouring Lao, Thai, Shan of Burma and Dai of China’s Yunnan Province, they have lived for centuries in the fertile uplands between the Truong Son and Hoang Lien ranges – certainly long before the region became part of Vietnam – and have a rich literary legacy and folklore.
Luang Prabang was formerly the capital of a kingdom of the same name. Until the communist takeover in 1975, it was the royal capital and seat of government of the Kingdom of Laos. The city is nowadays a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Northern Thailand has inherited the culinary legacy of the once powerful Lan Na Kingdom, with ties to neighbouring Burma and the Chinese province of Yunnan. One noteworthy feature is the widespread use of tomatoes in curries and other cooked dishes – elsewhere in Thailand the tomato is usually seen as a salad vegetable.<br/><br/> Distinctive dishes include khao soy – a succulent noodle dish introduced by Muslim caravaneers from China. Wheat noodles are served in a chicken or beef broth with an accompaniment of chopped red onions, pickled cabbage, fresh lime and soy sauce. Nam phrik ong – minced pork with tomatoes and chillies, almost like a Bolognese sauce. Not to be missed is kaeng hang lay – curried pork with ginger and peanuts, often served at weddings and other celebrations. Another favourite is the spicy Chiang Mai sausage, made with naem, or preserved pork. Served with a tray of peanuts, fresh ginger and chilli peppers, Northerners consider this to be an ideal kap klaem, or accompaniment to drinks – usually whisky and soda with plenty of ice.<br/><br/> Visitors to Chiang Mai can sample local cuisine at a northern Khantoke dinner – elegantly served on a low table, usually to the accompaniment of traditional Lan Na dancing.
The streets of the capital, Hanoi, and especially the largest city, Ho Chi Minh City bustle with enthusiasm and business energy. The abandonment of socialist economics and its gradual replacement by limited market-oriented capitalism has been welcomed by the populace. People everywhere are angling to make money, and the streets are filled with small-scale private enterprises selling all manner of items.
Kandy is Sri Lanka's second biggest city with a population of around 170,000 and is the cultural centre of the whole island. For about two centuries (until 1815) it was the capital of Sri Lanka.
The earliest mention of Kashgar occurs when a Chinese Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE) envoy traveled the Northern Silk Road to explore lands to the west.<br/><br/> Another early mention of Kashgar is during the Former Han (also known as the Western Han Dynasty), when in 76 BCE the Chinese conquered the Xiongnu, Yutian (Khotan), Sulei (Kashgar), and a group of states in the Tarim basin almost up to the foot of the Tian Shan mountains.<br/><br/> Ptolemy spoke of Scythia beyond the Imaus, which is in a 'Kasia Regio', probably exhibiting the name from which Kashgar is formed.<br/><br/> The country’s people practised Zoroastrianism and Buddhism before the coming of Islam. The celebrated Old Uighur prince Sultan Satuq Bughra Khan converted to Islam late in the 10th century and his Uighur kingdom lasted until 1120 but was distracted by complicated dynastic struggles.<br/><br/> The Uighurs employed an alphabet based upon the Syriac and borrowed from the Nestorian, but after converting to Islam widely used also an Arabic script. They spoke a dialect of Turkic preserved in the Kudatku Bilik, a moral treatise composed in 1065.
Chiang Mai is often called Thailand’s ‘Rose of the North’, and is the country’s second city and a popular tourist destination due primarily to its mountainous scenery, colourful ethnic hilltribes and their handicrafts.<br/><br/> Founded in 1296 by King Mengrai as the capital of his Lanna kingdom, Chiang Mai was later overrun by Burmese invaders in 1767. The city was then left abandoned between 1776 and 1791.<br/><br/> Chiang Mai formally became part of Siam in 1774 by an agreement with local prince Chao Kavila, after the Siamese King Taksin helped drive out the Burmese. Chiang Mai then slowly grew in cultural, trading and economic importance.