Anuga - The Most Important Trade Fair Gor The World Of Food

contents

europe

Thailand has one of the world's most successful ethnic cuisines. Thai food is also becoming more and more popular around the world: Exports, which are booming, include fish and seafood, poultry products and fruit and vegetables. Anuga's new guest-country concept premieres this year with Thailand, a country popular for both its food and as a holiday destination. A total of 146 exhibitors from Thailand will display their products at the world's most important trade fair for food and beverages, and the partner country presentation will be accompanied by seminars and cooking demonstrations. This year's Anuga as a whole will feature 6, 607 exhibitors from 95 countries, who will present their products and services from 13th to 17th October 2007 in Cologne.

Being able to indulge in excellent food without gaining weight may sound like something you'd expect to find in paradise - but it's an everyday reality for the people of Thailand. Thais view eating as a festivity embodying pure happiness. And while Thais very much enjoy eating, they don't have to deal with consequences such as obesity that many in the West are familiar with. That this is the case is largely due to the ingredients Thais use for their extremely "light cooking", which contains no hydrogenated or animal fats. Instead, you'll find vegetable oils - preferably soy, peanut and sesame oil, with the latter serving as a basic element of taste.

Thai cuisine is also cream-free, with Thais choosing instead to embellish their soups and sauces with coconut milk. That's great for a low cholesterol diet. Unlike the Western culinary perspective, Thai cuisine generally views sauces, meat, fish, and vegetables as accompaniments to the staple food, which is rice. Thais have a very healthy understanding of the concept of balance, and are able to combine culinary simplicity and finesse like no other country in the region. Simple recipes and extremely high quality ingredients illustrate the delicate and respectful manner in which Thais approach their culinary products.

The most fascinating thing about Thai cuisine for Westerners is how fresh its ingredients are. In fact, the terms "Thai food" and "fresh" have by now become inseparable. While this is true in some ways, the fact is that Thai cuisine is as varied as the country that created it, with differences to be found as one moves from north to south. In the north, for example, you'll rarely find fish or seafood, which are strongly associated with Thai cuisine here in the West. The use of spices used is also much less intense in the north than in the south, where food can get very hot indeed. And while the legendary Thai technique of stir frying remains a staple of street food, the country is also home to methods of preparation that involve long cooking times. Deep frying is also popular in Thailand, especially in the north.

Thai cuisine's reputation for outstanding freshness is in part due to the not completely accurate perception that short cooking times are the standard in the country, with the wok serving as the most widespread symbol of this point of view. The other important aspect here is the dominance of "green" ingredients in Thai cuisine, including all types of vegetables and fruits - and especially freshly prepared herbs, which are used generously (almost as extensively as vegetables) and are meant to shape the taste of a given dish. Here, fish and meat play a subordinate role in the taste spectrum.

write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Exhibition News :: home page