Kratiam — Garlic in Thai Cooking / กระเทียม

Pan-Thai — pervasive across all regional cuisines; fried garlic as garnish is particularly associated with Central and Isaan registers

Thai garlic (Allium sativum) differs from European garlic in several important characteristics: Thai garlic cloves are smaller, more pungent, thin-skinned, and often used with the skin on in fried preparations. Deep-fried garlic (kratiam jiaw) — slices or whole small cloves fried in neutral oil until golden — is one of the most important garnish and flavour elements in Thai cooking, used to finish soups, rice dishes, and noodles. Raw garlic appears in pastes and dressings; lightly crushed garlic appears in wok-fries; and the garlic frying oil itself (nam man kratiam) is used as a finishing flavour. The charred whole garlic used in some paste and marinade preparations is a Northern and Isaan technique producing a sweet, bitter-edged depth.

Fried garlic is the auditory and aromatic signal of Thai soup and noodle service — a bowl of boat noodles or kuay tiew without the crunch and nuttiness of kratiam jiaw is functionally incomplete.