Among gourmets, Kampot pepper is becoming increasingly prized for its strong yet delicate aroma and taste. As with fine wine, it’s all about the climate and soil. Modern mass cultivation began in the 1870s, when the Sultan of Aceh burned his Indonesian plantations to keep them out of Dutch hands and moved production to Kampot. So, the people around these parts have generations of experience in raising pepper.

The tiny flowers of the pepper vine. These will be pepper berries in five to six months.

Any of the tour operators around Kampot or Kep can arrange a trip to a pepper plantation, where of course you can buy pepper in bulk at really good prices. You will also find Kampot pepper in the town’s market<, in several shops and restaurant, or you can visit the FarmLink office in town. FarmLink operates as a farmers cooperative, selling Kampot pepper to the world with full traceability.

A big pile of limes in the market.

So extensive is the use of fresh lime juice in cooking that the stalls usually sell them by the dozen, while the owners of food stalls may purchase a bag holding three or four dozen from the wholesale market. A dozen limes will usually cost around 25 U.S. cents. Such is the importance of limes to Thais that an M.P. felt it necessary to bring to parliament’s attention the fact that the price of limes had exceeded nine Baht (about 30 U.S. cents) during Thailand’s boom years.

In addition to using the juice as an ingredient, many noodle and fried rice dishes are served with a lime wedge as one of the condiments. A squeeze of fresh lime juice over fried rice may not sound delicious, but the taste is quite good.

Limes originated around the Malay peninsula, where they have been cultivated since pre-history.

A basket of Kaffir Lime leaves on sale.

The leaves are a bit odd, in that they usually appear to be two heart-shaped leaves occupying a single stem end to end. The leaves are also a bit thick and fleshy. The fruit of the kaffir lime (ma-groot) itself is rather unusual as well, in that its green colored skin is very lumpy, quite unlike other citrus fruits. You may find the fruits on sale at the curry spice stall, since the zest is used in some Thai dishes. Herbal shampoos made from the kaffir lime are widely available in most supermarkets in Thailand. It is supposed to prevent dandruff. Some people even believe that the kaffir lime wards off evil spirits (like garlic to vampires) and hang it outside their house.

Two kinds of cucumbers on sale in a Thai market.

At least two types of cucumbers are typically found in Thai markets. The only real difference is size. The most commonly called for is a smaller variety that in the west might best be called a gherkin and used for pickling. It’s called taeng gwah, while a larger but otherwise similar looking variety is called taeng rahn. Both varieties can be used whenever cucumbers are called for in Thai recipes. When the smaller taeng gwah is listed, you will need to adjust the amount if using a larger cucumber.

Cucumbers actually come in an amazing variety, especially in tropical climates like Thailand where there are many wild varieties to mix with. The cucumber is part of a large family of plants that also includes squash, melons and pumpkins. You will often find the entire ‘family’ at stalls in the market.

We came across just such an array while traveling through the mountain-side farms where much of Chiang Mai’s produce is grown. The hill tribe Meo farmers had set up road-side stall to sell some of their vegetables directly to passers by. A truckload of rag-tag performers from some village’s cultural show was also stopped at the stall, which was mainly tended by an aged woman who nonetheless had a baby strapped to her back. The old lady’s face was deeply lined from years in the sun. On sale was an amazing variety of cucumbers, gourds and squashes, as well as some steamed corn and long beans. We bought some of the corn, which was sweet and easily separated from the cob.

Cucumbers appear to have originated in India about 3,000 years ago. From there, they spread through the ancient trade routes, and probably appeared in Europe around Greek or Roman times.

Cucumbers are highly nutritious, although most of the food value is in the skin. The mix of nutrients makes it useful in treating and preventing many gastric problems. Sliced or grated cucumbers have long been used as a skin and beauty treatment.

Onions on sale in the market.

Onions are among the most ancient of cultivated vegetables. No one is quite sure when or where they were first cultivated. They were mentioned in first dynasty Egyptian texts dating back to 3200 B.C. In later years, we know that bread, beer and onions were the important rations to the highly valued artisans who decorated the tombs in the Valley of the Kings.

Although Egypt was the first to record onions, many think that cultivation first began in ancient Iran and Pakistan. One of the reasons it’s hard to know for sure is that there are hundreds of varieties of wild onions spread throughout temperate climates all around the world.

Fresh Coriander for sale

The most unique aspect of coriander’s role in Thai cooking is the use of the root in many curry pastes. Ground fresh coriander root is probably the true "secret spice" in Thai cuisine. It’s what gives Thai fried chicken that extra flavor and provides the undertone to dishes ostensibly flavored with garlic and pepper. The use of the root presents a problem for many cooks trying to master the true taste of Thai food, since most western supermarkets cut the roots off. Some solve this problem by growing the herb themselves.

Coriander seeds are perhaps the least used part of the plant in Thai cuisine. The small round seeds resemble white peppercorns, although not quite as hard. When called for, the seeds are usually dry roasted in a frying pan before being ground up as part of a curry paste.

Although most of the coriander used in Thai food is similar to that used elsewhere, another strain of coriander is sometimes called for. Known as pak chee farang or "foreigner coriander" in Thai, in English it’s known as sawtooth coriander, understandably because of the herb’s long narrow grass-like blades with sawtooth edges.

Nutty Corn Cakes with dabu-dabu sambal

Ingredients

Preparation Method

• Place half the corn, the peanuts, spring onions, ginger, garlic and cumin in a food processor. Mix until finely chopped and a bit mushy.
• Transfer the mixture to a bowl and mix in the egg, rice flour, red peppers and the rest of the corn.
• Head the vegetable oil in a skillet. Once hot, form the corn mixture into patties and fry both sides until golden brown. I had a bit of trouble with this until I hit on the idea of using an egg ring to hold the patties together until they were cooked well enough.

Serve with dabu-dabu or some other spicy sauce.

Dabu-dabu – the Indonesian "salsa"

I did a little investigating and found several recipes for dabu-dabu. It seems that like any popular dish, there are as many recipes as there are cooks, but the basics remain the same: tomatoes, chilies, lime juice and oil. Common variations include using shallots in place of green onions and the addition of fresh basil. No matter how you make it, be sure to give it a day or more to "ferment" before using. Otherwise it will taste quite "rough".

Ingredients

Preparation Method

• Mix all the ingredients together.
• Store in the refrigerator for at least one day before using.

A pile of mangosteens in the market

Mangosteens are said to have been a favorite of Queen Victoria. She may have been on to something. According to some recent accounts, the mangosteen is one of the richest sources of chemical compounds called Xanthones. These compounds are showing promise in some trials as having many beneficial effects, with some proponents suggesting that the mangosteen could be the next fountain of youth.

Although quite popular throughout Asia, mangosteens are hard to find elsewhere since the trees are slow growing and thus not as economically viable as mango or pineapple. When you do find them, you should know that the skin is quite thick and can also stain quite badly. The best way to peel and serve a mangosteen is to use a knife to cut through the skin around the middle, then lift the top off. The segments can then be easily removed with a fork.

A large pile of tomatoes on sale in the market.

Thai tomatoes come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Smaller fruits are generally preferred, with perhaps the most common resembling the plum tomatoes favored by Italians as well. These will be added whole to green papaya salad, or sometimes quartered and tossed into fried rice.

A stall in Bangkok’s Pak Klong market selling several types of tomatoes

Tomatoes are rich in vitamins and also a good source of key antioxidants. The University of California at Davis in the United States recently rated the tomato as the single most important fruit or vegetable of western diets, in terms of the vitamins and minerals delivered.

Tomatoes also have a high content of glutamate, a naturally occurring compound that provides the "G" in MSG, a seasoning that has gotten a rather bad name. It is glutamate that makes foods taste good. Other foods high in natural glutamate are cheese, fish and mushrooms.