Saturday, October 24, 2009

Why do Thais include raw herbs in their diet?


When I just arrived in Thailand five years back, Thai friends let me try the herbs they eat raw with their meals. As I'm not used to it, I just had to try a little bit of anything they introduced. Now I can eat just anything they serve with my orders except raw eggplants. I can now eat raw string beans and even the one that looks like "makahiya" in the Philippines. It's actually tasteless and is a good antioxidant according to Thai friends. Basil leaf (in the photo) as well as mint leaf is a very good protection and cure for food poisoning and is also an antioxidant. Thais believe that herbs like these are more effective when eaten raw. So now you understand why every Thai has this on their table?  Thais including the rich riding a BMW or Mercedez Benz can eat everywhere even on the food stalls set on the streets not getting any problem.
I'm becoming Thai now in terms of this healthy practice!

Mint herb is very famous in Thai cuisines. It is known not only for its aromatic smell and mint taste but also for its health benefits being an effective antioxidant and a cure for cough. 

This herb is also part of Thai diet being eaten raw. It is also made into juice as it is known for its body cooling effect. It's also considered a medicine eaten as raw or boiled for tea to lower high blood pressure. The photo below shows the juice from this raw herb.

2 comments:

Jemina said...

it's true herbs possess health benefits but also you can make your own pesto because basil is very common in thailand. It's a great pasta sauce.

nice A said...

so you have tried basil as well? i couldn't take it before. let me try it in my pasta then. i love it in my adobo.

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