Thailand

Two Racers and the Balanced Thai Plate

Thailand has never hosted a Grand Prix, but it raced in the very first championship season, and its cooking is a lesson in balancing salt, sour, sweet and heat.

No World Championship race has been held in Thailand, yet the country was on the grid from the very start. Birabongse Bhanudej, recorded in our files as a Prince of Siam, raced in the first championship season in 1950 and made 19 starts through 1954 in Maserati, Gordini and Connaught cars, with fourth his best result.

Thailand's modern standard bearer is Alexander Albon, recorded in our files as both Thai and British. Since his debut in 2019 he has made 142 starts with Toro Rosso, Red Bull and Williams, and his best finish is third. Our records list no Thai team and, so far, no Thai winner.

Thai cooking is an exercise in balance. In almost every dish, salty and sour, sweet and spicy are weighed against one another, with fresh herbs and aromatics doing much of the work. Traditional dishes fall loosely into boiled soups, spicy salads, pounded foods and curries, while Chinese cooks brought steaming, deep frying and the stir fry. Chili peppers, now central to the cuisine, came from the Americas with Portuguese and Spanish traders, so Thai food as the world knows it took two oceans to assemble. Rice is the other great staple.

The country really holds five regional cuisines. Bangkok blends royal and Chinese influences, the central plains grow jasmine rice, the north shares dishes with its northern neighbors, Isan in the northeast loves sticky rice and fiery salads, and the south cooks with coconut milk and fresh turmeric. Street stalls and markets feed much of the country. For a race weekend, try a green curry and finish with mango and sticky rice, the most persuasive case for rice at dessert ever made.

A taste of Thailand

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