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''Pla ra'' (, ; , ), similar to padaek in
Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...
, is a traditional Thai seasoning produced by fermenting fish with
rice bran Bran, also known as miller's bran, is the component of a cereal grain consisting of the hard layersthe combined aleurone and pericarpsurrounding the endosperm. Corn (maize) bran also includes the pedicel (tip cap). Along with the germ, it is ...
or roasted
rice flour Rice flour (also rice powder) is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It is distinct from rice starch, which is usually produced by steeping rice in lye. Rice flour is a common substitute for wheat flour. It is also used as a thickening ...
and salt fermented in a closed container for at least six months. Fermented fish seasoning are commonly found in Cambodian, Lao, Mon, Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. ''Pla ra'' has a very strong smell, which is considered unpleasant by some people. Its flavors are salty and sour, depending on the amount of salt put in and
lactic acid Lactic acid is an organic acid. It has the molecular formula C3H6O3. It is white in the solid state and it is miscible with water. When in the dissolved state, it forms a colorless solution. Production includes both artificial synthesis as wel ...
resulting from
fermentation Fermentation is a type of anaerobic metabolism which harnesses the redox potential of the reactants to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and organic end products. Organic molecules, such as glucose or other sugars, are catabolized and reduce ...
process.


History

''Pla ra'' was a common food in the
Ayutthaya Kingdom The Ayutthaya Kingdom or the Empire of Ayutthaya was a Thai people, Thai kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (city), Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. Europe ...
. The French diplomat
Simon de la Loubère Simon de la Loubère (; 21 April 1642 – 26 March 1729) was a French diplomat to Siam (Thailand), writer, mathematician and poet. He is credited with bringing back a document which introduced Europe to Indian astronomy, the " Siamese method ...
, who visited Siam during the mid-Ayutthaya period, wrote about pla ra: explained that the main source of food was rice and fish. Siamese people did not like to eat fresh fish.
Fermented fish Fermented fish is a traditional preservation of fish. Before refrigeration, canning and other modern preservation techniques became available, fermenting was an important preservation method. Fish rapidly spoils, or goes rotten, unless some method ...
was popular as much as spicy Thai dip or
Nam phrik ''Nam phrik'' (, ) is a type of Thailand, Thai Spice, spicy chili sauce typical of Thai cuisine. Usual ingredients for ''nam phrik'' type sauces are fresh or dry chilies, garlic, shallots, Lime (fruit), lime juice and often some kind of Fish past ...
. When he returned to France, he brought some pla ra with him.


Classification

''Pla ra'' is classified by its main ingredients. ''Pla ra'' that is fermented with roasted rice powder will become yellow with a soft texture and distinctive smell. Mostly used as a paste, this type of ''pla ra'' is usually produced in
central Thailand Central Thailand (Central Plain) (historically also known as Siam or Dvaravati) is one of the regions of Thailand, covering the broad alluvial plain of the Chao Phraya River. It is separated from northeast Thailand (Isan) by the Phetchabun Mount ...
. This type of ''pla ra'' usually has striped snakehead fish or
catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order (biology), order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Catfish are common name, named for their prominent barbel (anatomy), barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, though not ...
as a main ingredient. The other type is ''pla ra'' fermented with rice bran. The product's color is clear black with a stronger smell. The fish is softer and smaller. It is mostly found in northeastern Thailand as an ingredient, or as a raw food. ''Pla ra'' which uses fresh fish is called ''pla ra sot''. Its flavors are salty with a little bit sour from
lactic acid Lactic acid is an organic acid. It has the molecular formula C3H6O3. It is white in the solid state and it is miscible with water. When in the dissolved state, it forms a colorless solution. Production includes both artificial synthesis as wel ...
. ''Pla ra lom'' uses dead fish with has an autolysis reaction until it has an unpleasant smell, or uses fish which is soaked in water for 12–24 hours until it is softer.


Process

There are differing methods to produce ''pla ra''. One method holds that there are two phases for making ''pla ra''. The first phase is to ferment fish with salt until it is softer, and the next phase is to ferment it with rice bran or roasted rice powder for its scent and flavor. A second approach is to ferment the fish with salt and coarsely pounded, toasted, raw glutinous rice for at least six months. The process starts with cutting the fish into small pieces and fermenting it with salt. After 24 hours, the fish is arranged in a container (mostly a pot) until it is tightly packed and filled with salt water afterwards. The container is sealed for three months. After three months, a first stage ''pla ra'' will be mixed with rice bran or roasted rice powder. Then, it will be rearranged in the container and sealed for two months or more. In 2018, the Thai Ministry of Agriculture published regulations to ensure the quality and hygiene of commercially-made ''pla ra''.


Dishes

''Pla ra'' is usually eaten raw or as a chilli fish sauce (''nam phrik pla ra''). This dish is made of roasted green pepper,
garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...
,
shallot The shallot is a cultivar group of the onion. Until 2010, the (French red) shallot was classified as a separate species, ''Allium ascalonicum''. The taxon was synonymized with '' Allium cepa'' (the common onion) in 2010, as the difference was t ...
s, and boiled fish meat. All of these ingredients are ground together. Then boiled fermented fish liquid,
fish sauce Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in East Asian cuisine and Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly Myanmar, Cambodia, L ...
, and lime juice are added to the mixture. It is used as a side dish for dipping vegetables or eaten with rice. ''Pla ra'' can also be processed into a powder by baking it with some spices until it is dry and the grinding it all together. ''Nam phrik pla ra'' and ''Pla ra song krueng'' or ''lon pla ra'' are common in Thailand's Central Region.


Nutrition

Composition of ''pla ra''. Many species of bacteria have been found in ''pla ra'': * Assorted species of ''
Pediococcus ''Pediococcus'' is a genus of gram-positive lactic acid bacteria, placed within the family of Lactobacillaceae. They usually occur in pairs or tetrads, and divide along two planes of symmetry, as do the other lactic acid cocci genera '' Aerococc ...
'', primarily '' P. halophilus'' * Assorted species of ''
Staphylococcus ''Staphylococcus'', from Ancient Greek σταφυλή (''staphulḗ''), meaning "bunch of grapes", and (''kókkos''), meaning "kernel" or " Kermes", is a genus of Gram-positive bacteria in the family Staphylococcaceae from the order Bacillale ...
'', primarily '' S. epidermidis'' * Assorted species of ''
Micrococcus ''Micrococcus'', from Ancient Greek μικρός (''mikrós''), meaning "small", and κόκκος (''kókkos''), meaning "sphere", is a genus of bacteria in the Micrococcaceae family (biology), family. ''Micrococcus'' occurs in a wide range of en ...
'' * ''
Bacillus subtilis ''Bacillus subtilis'' (), known also as the hay bacillus or grass bacillus, is a gram-positive, catalase-positive bacterium, found in soil and the gastrointestinal tract of ruminants, humans and marine sponges. As a member of the genus ''Bacill ...
'' and '' B. licheniformis'' * Other, non-spore-forming
gram-positive bacteria In bacteriology, gram-positive bacteria are bacteria that give a positive result in the Gram stain test, which is traditionally used to quickly classify bacteria into two broad categories according to their type of cell wall. The Gram stain ...
* Other
gram-negative bacteria Gram-negative bacteria are bacteria that, unlike gram-positive bacteria, do not retain the Crystal violet, crystal violet stain used in the Gram staining method of bacterial differentiation. Their defining characteristic is that their cell envelo ...
''P. halophilus'' is most prevalent when ''pla ra'' is fermented for three to five months. A study found that 90% of samples from markets contain this species of
bacterium Bacteria (; : bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among the ...
, so it has been concluded that it has an important role in the fermenting process, especially for ''pla ras taste and aroma. Other ''Pediococcus'' species also have a role in the taste and aroma, but not as much as ''P. halophilus''. Species of ''Staphylococcus'', ''Micrococcus'', and ''Bacillus'' act in protein degradation.


Health issue

When using ''pla ra'' as an ingredient for uncooked food, it is easily contaminated. An example is ''
nam phrik ''Nam phrik'' (, ) is a type of Thailand, Thai Spice, spicy chili sauce typical of Thai cuisine. Usual ingredients for ''nam phrik'' type sauces are fresh or dry chilies, garlic, shallots, Lime (fruit), lime juice and often some kind of Fish past ...
'' (chilli fish sauce) which uses ''pla ra'' as an ingredient. ''Nam phrik'' is not cooked and is often kept for one or two meals. After a while, it will contain
pathogens In biology, a pathogen (, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of"), in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a germ. The term ...
and have a high microorganism count. In some cases, nam phrik had both
E. coli ''Escherichia coli'' ( )Wells, J. C. (2000) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow ngland Pearson Education Ltd. is a gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus ''Escherichia'' that is commonly foun ...
and S. aureus present, but no
pathogenic organisms Pathogenic bacteria are bacteria that can cause disease. This article focuses on the bacteria that are pathogenic to humans. Most species of bacteria are harmless and many are beneficial but others can cause infectious diseases. The number of th ...
. The reason is the acid from
tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a Legume, leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is indigenous to tropical Africa and naturalized in Asia. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic taxon, monotypic, meaning that it contains only this spe ...
made the pH less than 4.6, which prevents the growth of most
pathogens In biology, a pathogen (, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of"), in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a germ. The term ...
. ''Pla ra'' before reheating is contaminated with ''S. aureus'' but the coliform is low and it is destroyed by cooking.


Other uses

In a recent move by the
police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...
and redevelopment workers to evict vendors from a market in the
Khlong Toei District Khlong Toei (also Klong Toey, , ) is a districts of Bangkok, district in central Bangkok, long known for its slum. It is bordered by the Chao Phraya River and contains major port facilities. It is also the site of a major market, the Khlong Toei M ...
in
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...
, the local vendors barricaded themselves in the market. During the scuffles that ensued, the traders made "stink bombs" with thin plastic bags filled with ''pla ra'' and hurled them at policemen. On 1 February 2010 bags of excrement and ''pla ra'' were thrown at
Thai Prime Minister The prime minister of Thailand (, , ; literally 'chief minister of state') is the head of government of Thailand. The prime minister is also the chair of the cabinet of Thailand. The post has existed since the Siamese Revolution of 1932, when ...
Abhisit Vejjajiva Abhisit Vejjajiva (; , , ; born 3 August 1964) is a Thai politician who was the 27th prime minister of Thailand from 2008 to 2011. He was the leader of the Democrat Party from 2005 until he resigned following the party's weak performance in t ...
's house.


See also

* * * * * * * * * * *


References

{{Fish sauce Fish sauces Thai cuisine Fermented foods