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Thai · VI The Beverage Tradition

Nam takrai (lemongrass drink)

Bangkok and the central plains, sold throughout Thailand

‹ The Beverage Tradition

I

Origin

Nam takrai, the lemongrass drink, belongs to the tradition of sweetened herbal infusions that Thai street vendors and households serve chilled as a counter to the heat of the climate. It is carried by the vendors of the markets and roadsides, who keep a pot of the infusion beside the ice, and by the home cook, who makes it in quantity and keeps it in the refrigerator. It sits among the sweet drinks of the Thai table alongside nam manao and nam bai toey.

II

Description

The drink is an infusion of lemongrass, takrai (Cymbopogon citratus), the lower stalks bruised or sliced and simmered in water, then sweetened with sugar and cooled. The outer leaves are discarded and only the pale, fragrant base of the stalk is used. It is poured over ice and served clear, pale straw to faintly golden in colour, with a clean citrus-like perfume.

III

The Thread

—Both draw the citral perfume of lemongrass into water by simmering and serve it as a cooling, lightly sweetened drink. The Vietnamese version is often taken hot or with added ginger, while the Thai drink is made to be served cold over ice. Vietnamese
—Both rest on the same principle of bruised lemongrass stalks steeped in simmering water to release their aromatic oils. The Indonesian drink is commonly served hot and spiced with ginger and palm sugar, where the Thai drink is sweetened with sugar and chilled. Indonesian
—Both are infusions of a lemon-scented grass or leaf, valued for a clean aroma and a gentle, refreshing character. The French tisane is taken unsweetened or lightly sweetened and hot, while the Thai drink is sweetened more generously and served iced. French
IV

Flavour Context

Nam takrai is drunk alongside the hot, salty and chilli-laden dishes of the Thai table, and with fried foods from the street stall. Its sweetness and cool temperature soothe the heat of chilli, while the citrus perfume of the lemongrass cleans the palate of fat and salt between mouthfuls. It is a drink of the whole meal rather than a finish to it.

Pillars V — VII
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