Is bak kut teh a dish that began in Hat Yai?
It is not presented as a dish that began in Hat Yai. It is a Chinese-descended dish you meet in the Songkhla area, and a menu item through which you can learn about the area's varied food culture.
Bak kut teh
Bak Kut Teh · บักกุ๊ดเต๋
If you want a meal with warm broth on your Hat Yai trip, choose bak kut teh. Pork ribs are simmered with herbs and aromatic ingredients. In the Songkhla area it is introduced as a broth dish with a Chinese herbal aroma. If you eat pork, enjoy it slowly with rice.
Bakutteh · Indradi Soemardjan http://www.indrani.net · CC BY 2.5
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What does it taste like?
The aroma of herbs and aromatic ingredients is added to the broth of simmered pork ribs. The color and richness of the broth depend on the recipe. Alternate between the ribs and the broth and notice the aroma.
The broth uses pork too. If you avoid pork, choose another dish.
Dish basics
- Dish name
- Bak kut teh · Bak Kut Teh
- Thai name
- บักกุ๊ดเต๋
- Type
- Soups and curries
- Regional link
- Southern Thailand · Chinese-descended dish enjoyed in the Songkhla area
- Main ingredients
- Pork ribs are simmered with herbs and aromatic ingredients. The other ingredients and side dishes differ from menu to menu.
The dish and its region
Bak kut teh is one of the Chinese-descended dishes you meet in the Songkhla area. It does not mean that it was first made in Hat Yai. On a day you want a meal different from crispy fried chicken, have pork rib broth with rice.
How to order and eat it
- First think about whether this is a menu item that you and your companions, who eat pork, can choose together. The typical bak kut teh uses pork ribs.
- See whether rice and side dishes come with it and place your order.
- Eat the ribs and take the broth a little at a time. Enjoy the aroma of herbs and aromatic ingredients with rice.
Frequently asked questions
Can someone who does not eat pork have it?
The typical bak kut teh contains pork ribs. If you avoid pork, it is better to choose another dish. Please note that even the broth alone is a dish made with pork.
More dishes and cities to explore
Official sources
If you want to read more about the food and the regions behind it, these sources are a good next step. Ingredients and cooking methods can differ from one place to the next.
Sharing image credit: Indradi Soemardjan http://www.indrani.net · CC BY 2.5