BY: Rowaida Mahmoud
The Embassy of Thailand in Cairo has launched the Thai Food Bazaar, rolling out the irresistible flavours of food from this Asian country before Egyptians and others.
Held at al Horraya Garden in Zamalek, the bazaar kicked off on Thursday and is expected to last until Sunday. It brought together a host of Egyptian dignitaries and Thai food-lovers.
Those attending the opening of the event on Thursday included Gen. Mohamed Sultan, the head of the Specialised Parks Project, Thanawat Sirikul, the Ambassador of Thailand to Egypt, and Niwat Apichartbutra, commercial minister counsellor at the Thai Embassy in Cairo.
This is the third Thai Food Bazaar. This year’s edition of the event includes the Thai SELECT Festival which offers attendees a variety of food, gives them cooking tips and shows them recipes through live cooking demonstrations.
Apichartbutra described Thai cuisine as a type of culture for the people of his country. “Each dish carries a deep story about our people, country and tradition,” he said at the opening of the bazaar.
“That’s why we present Thai SEELECT Festival as a part of the event to bring you closer to authentic Thai cuisine,” he added.
Thai SELECT is a mark of certification awarded by the Thai Ministry of Commerce to guarantee the authentic Thai taste of Thai food products and Thai restaurants in Thailand and overseas.
The award is divided into two categories: Thai ready-to-eat/ready-to-cook products and Thai restaurants.
The bazaar also consists of Thai cultural performances, including Thai puppetry, traditional dances and Muay Thai, which is a form of Thai traditional boxing.
There are also activities for children, such as colouring and drawing.
Carving on vegetables and fruits is another show in the bazaar.
It is believed that this art started in the era of the Sukhothai Kingdom in the 14th century. It is used to decorate the royal tables and other major celebrations, such as the Thai New Year (Songkran).
Gen. Sultan described Thailand as a “distinguished” country, thanks to its geographic location in Southeast Asia. “Thailand has become a destination for millions of people, thanks to its unique culture,” he said.
