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Mansa (n.)
Pala (n.)
Pali-Sanskrit: มังสะ
Pali-Sanskrit: ผะลา
/ˈmʌn.sa/ meaning meat
/ˈpʌ.lə/ meaning fruits and vegetables
mansa-pala brings these two words together to reflect the essential building blocks of Thai cuisine
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The complexity of our cuisine has
been reduced by a focus on speed,
volume, and yield
Thailand once cultivated over 4,000 varieties of rice. Today, fewer than a dozen are widely grown. Native breeds of chicken and pork, once staples in Thai households and markets, have been replaced by industrial breeds. The complexity of our cuisine has been reduced by a focus on speed, volume, and yield. And often at the expense of biodiversity, culture, and taste.
At mansa-pala, we ask:
How did we lose these ingredients?
And can we bring them back?
Along the way, we also witness the
damage monoculture farming has left
on our land.
We collaborate with scientists, researchers, historians, and local communities across Thailand. Guided by old cookbooks, historical records, and oral traditions, we search from remote paddies to backyard farms for heirloom rice, rare fruits and vegetables, and native livestock breeds once common but now scarce. Along the way, we also witness the damage monoculture farming has left on our land and its biodiversity.
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Every dish is an attempt to
remember what was nearly
forgotten
Once we find these ingredients, we bring them into our kitchen not just to cook, but to study, test, and understand. Using traditional techniques and insights from historical texts, we prepare each ingredient with care. Every dish is an attempt to remember what was nearly forgotten and to share it in a form that speaks to both past and present.
We believe that knowledge
is as essential as taste
Every ingredient we serve is documented in our online archive. There, you can explore its story, where it comes from, how it was once used, and why it matters. We believe that knowledge is as essential as taste in keeping these ingredients alive.
This is just the beginning
Learn more about Thailand’s disappearing ingredients
in our upcoming book: