Good food is the foundation of genuine happiness.
-Auguste Escoffier
Thai food is a great example of a cuisine that is not only rich is technique but also in color and flavor. Australian chef David Thompson observes that Thai cuisine “is about the juggling of disparate elements to create a harmonious finish. Like a complex musical chord, it’s got to have a smooth surface but it doesn’t matter what’s happening underneath. Simplicity isn’t the dictum here, at all.”
Thai, Malaysian, and Indonesian cuisine have each had a significant influence on each other which is why we often find similar preparations among them. Peanut sauce is a good example of this. This curry is centered around the main ingredient: roasted peanuts. It is found both in Thailand and Indonesia under different names such as satay sauce, bumbu kacang, sambal kacang or pecel. The sauce is made up of ground peanuts along with coconut milk, soy sauce, garlic and native spices.
Jet Tila’s family opened the first Thai grocery store in the Los Angeles, California in 1966. However, the first Thai restaurant opened in the United States dates to 1959. The “Chada Thai” was opened in Denver, Colorado in 1959 by Lilly Chittivet and her husband.
After the Vietnam war, many people from Thailand immigrated to the United States and brought with them exotic ingredients and techniques found in Thai cuisine. The government of Thailand also took sustained efforts in bringing their cuisine to the west.
Today, it is a well-loved comfort food all around the world. This week we celebrate Thai cuisine at the All American Dining Room as our weekly special: Thai Chicken with Peanut Sauce. This dish will be served through the week for lunch and dinner so be sure to grab your bowl!
To know more about the weekly menu, visit this website or download the Purdue Dining app.
Here’s where we got our info from:
The First U.S. Restaurants to Serve 8 Foreign Cuisines. (2016, February 28). Retrieved September 30, 2020, from https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/76228/first-us-restaurants-serve-8-foreign-cuisines
Origin of Thai Food in America: Thai Food Arlington VA: Thaiphoon @ Pentagon Row. (n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2020, from http://thaiphoonva.com/origin-of-thai-food-in-america/
Peanut sauce. (2020, September 21). Retrieved September 30, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut_sauce
Thai cuisine. (2020, September 28). Retrieved September 30, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_cuisine
Purdue Dining & Culinary 