The Department of Cultural Promotion, in collaboration with 20 chefs from renowned restaurants on the Bangkok dining scene, have come up with a special menu based on chili paste recipes from local communities across the nation. These fiery, flavorful pastes are an important Thai cultural heritage and now, for the first time, they have been adapted and incorporated into a series of cutting-edge fusion dishes which incorporate elements of Vietnamese, Japanese, Italian for the pleasure of Bangkok residents and visitors.
Mr. Chai Nakhonchai, Director-General of the Department of Cultural Promotion, revealed that "These chili pastes are a cultural heritage that has been passed down through generations ever since the Ayutthaya era and it's not just the spiciness and intense flavor that Thais love that makes them outstanding, it's also their adaptability, the ease with which they can be incorporated into a wide range of cuisines, and the fact that they go hand in hand with untold varieties of local vegetables and crops. The sheer variety of different chili paste recipes is a true indicator of the diversity of regional and local cuisine and abundance of fresh ingredients available in these small rural communities. In 2012, the Department of Cultural Promotion awarded Chili paste and 'Plaraa' fermented fish cultural heritage status and this year marks the tenth anniversary of this award. In an effort to introduce these ancient flavors to a new generation of food lovers as well as understand their history and their importance as a culinary cultural heritage, this project hopes to expand on cultural wisdom, inject it with new value and increase the popularity of these rural culinary gems with food-loving city dwellers. As a result, we hope the communities involved will feel a renewed sense of pride in their treasured recipes and the ancestral wisdom that they stemmed from, and furthermore understand the importance of not just maintaining them and keeping them alive. but also promoting them to new audiences."
Mr. Jakkapong Chinkratok, Chief Executive Officer, Find Food Marketplace, added that "Top chefs from 20 of Bangkok's most popular eateries - Attarot, Tha Arun, The Local by Oam Thong Thai Cuisine, Songserm Pochana, Naboworn, Khon Chong Khon Prung, Charm Garden Tiaw Ho, Baan Ying, Thai Niyom. Ob Oan, Saen Samran Ti Saen Saab, Yam Yen Restaurant, Kam Kin Suk, Kamin, Ban Chalong, Maison Saigon, Spaghetti House Prachachuen, Le Khwam Luck and Honmono Sushi have come together to create and launch 'Chili Pastes from Rural Pastures', a series of dishes designed to introduce the charm of chili paste from countryside communities to urban diners. Food lovers wishing to sample the menu can do so by visiting the restaurants involved or by ordering the dishes for home delivery. For those seeking the original chili pastes themselves, they can do so at Find Food Marketplace at their official LINE account @findfood19 from today to August 31, 2022."
The 20 menus based on chili pastes are as follows: