Thai Words and Phrases for Vegetarians

It's not easy being green in Thailand. A few words in Thai will oil the way for vegetarians.

Outside of popular tourist destinations, restaurants in Thailand rarely cater to vegetarians. And the number of specializing in Thai vegetarian cuisine is tiny compared to Indian, Chinese or Western variations.  More veggie venues are cropping up, however, particularly in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket. 

Wherever you are, there are plenty of fresh vegetables and vegetable dishes in Thailand. And cooks are willing to do their best. The following words and phrases will help oil the way:

Vegetarian Festival - Best Annual Events Thailand

It's easy to find vegetarian food all over Thailand during these ten days every autumn.

  

Vegetarian Festival 2014 dates: September 23 - October 3.


The yearly vegetarian festival has Chinese origins but all Thais partake of the food and many adopt the spiritual practices.

Food court stands, sidewalk stalls, hotel restaurants and small family restaurants all get into the act. To spot the first two eateries, look for small yellow flags. Bigger places will indicate their vegetarian choices on menus. Every hotel dining room will have a vegetarian offering, if not an entire buffet.

Asiatique - Review of Bangkok's Riverside Night Market

Attractions, food, directions for Bangkok’s shiniest night bazaar: Has Asiatique replaced the late, lamented Suan Lum market?

Updated October 15, 2014.Tourists in town for a few days will find enough to buy, eat and be amused by at Bangkok’s newest, flashiest night market by the river.  Opened in spring 2012, Asiatique is shinier, more upmarket, than its chief rival, Siam Paradise Night Bazaar, or the defunct Suan Lum Night Market—and much more than the Onnuj night market. 

Singapore Food Festival in July - Best Annual Events Singapore

Malay satay 

July's Singapore Food Festival has meals and events for all ages and price ranges. Locals and tourists are welcome. What/When/Where/How much.

Singapore's World Gourmet Summit is the annual food festival foreigners are more likely to recognize. But the week-long Singapore Food Festival--next to run July 12 to 21, 2013--is actually more popular, supposedly attracting more than 400,000 participants each year. It features more family-friendly outdoor events and friendlier prices. Rather than Michelin-starred French and Italian chefs, the cooks here are all almost all local and even include some of the stellar street vendors.

Launched in 1994 by the Singapore Tourism Board, the Singapore Food Festival (SFF) used to run for a month. The 20th edition will span nine days.

World Gourmet Summit - Best Annual Events Singapore

Taste of a Singapore food festival

Of Singapore's two annual food festivals, April's World Gourmet Summit has the higher international profile since it features celebrity chefs from all over the world.

Strictly-run Singapore doesn't have a reputation for cultural attractions. In compensation, the government works hard to attract tourists by vigorously promoting the city's food and restaurants. Launched in 1996 by the government's tourism board, the World Gourmet Summit is probably the year's highlight for many Singaporeans and near neighbors.

Lately the gourmet festival has been running for two weeks or ten days beginning in late April. The next edition will run from April 16-26, 2013.

How to Make Hibiscus Tea or Roselle Juice – Recipes

Ice roselle by Chotda

Hibiscus drinks, such as agua de Jamaica, are simple to make at home because the main ingredient can now bought online.

The principal ingredients you need to make roselle juice or hibiscus tea are hibiscus calyces. Ideally, you should start with fresh calyces. Contrary to what you might read on a content farm websites, hibiscus foods and drinks aren’t made from the hibiscus sabdariffa flower petals. They’re made from the calyces—the red casings or pods that enclose the seeds. The calyces are harvested after the petals dry up and fall off.

For the botanical names and health benefits of drinks made from hibiscus sabdariffa, see this earlier story.

In the Caribbean, Panama and West Africa, you can find these in fresh markets. I haven’t seen them in any fresh markets in Southeast Asia, but I have not made an intensive search. This Swiss chef, making a dessert filling, actually found fresh calyces in Hong Kong.  More likely, you will find plastic bags of dried roselle in the dried goods section of a big traditional wooden-walled market or in specialty shops selling organic or health foods.

What is hibiscus tea? Roselle juice? Flor de Jamaica? Karkadé? Health and medical benefits of hibiscus drinks

Rozelle, sorrel, agua de Jamaica and carcadé are some of the many names for a citrusy cold and hot drink made from the hibiscus plant and consumed all over the world.

Hibiscus sabdariffa flower by Melop

Served icy cold, the tart, grape juice-like drink is commonly called roselle juice in English. Served hot, it's usually known as hibiscus tea or Jamaica tea.

However, hibiscus, roselle, rozelle, Florida cranberry, flor de Jamaica, Jamaica sorrel, Indian sorrel, Guinea sorrel, sorrel, red sorrel, saril, sour-sour, Queensland jelly plant, jelly okra and lemon bush are just some of the English names for the plant that supplies the flavoring and edible ingredient.