Loha-unchit says Central Thai people liked what four-flavor combination?

Loha-unchit says Central Thai people liked the combination of hot, sour, sweet and salty flavors.

Kasma Loha-unchit uses this combination to explain how Thai-Chinese cooks adapted stir-fried Chinese-style noodles for local tastes. Those cooks added a distinctly Thai balance of chili heat, sourness, sweetness and saltiness, then gave the dish a Thai-fusion identity.

Pad Thai’s flavor comes from ingredients such as chili, tamarind, palm sugar and fish sauce. Rice noodles, egg, tofu, shrimp and bean sprouts add texture and savoriness, while lime, peanuts and extra chili are often served alongside.

A common mix-up is treating these as Thailand’s only flavors. Thai cooking also uses bitter, aromatic, herbal and umami notes; the four listed here describe the characteristic balance associated with this explanation of Pad Thai’s development.