“Mussaman” appeared for the first time in the reign of King Narai the Great of Ayutthaya. In its early age, it had strong influence from Persian food. The strong flavors from spices were reduced to meet Thai preference. The uniqueness is the smooth combination between sweet, salty and spicy flavors, and the strong aroma from spices such as fennels, cloves and cinnamons. The choice of meats is either beef or chicken. Mussaman was ranked fourth in the “World’s 50 Most Delicious Food” as polled by www.travel.cnn.com in 2011.
Mussaman contains high level of protein and fat, which relatively results in a higher energy. Dietary fiber from curry paste and cinnamon helps relieve flatulence and nausea. Shallots relieve fever. Tamarind juice acts as a mild laxative. Fennel acts like a carminative and expectorant. Clove relieves stomachache, flatulence and colic. Cardamom seeds cure indigestion. Mussaman Curry has phenolic content 64.04 mg GAE/100 g, hydrophilic oxygen radical absorbance capacity (H-ORAC) 1,567.10 µM Trolox equivalent/100 g, lipophilic oxygen radical absorbance capacity (L-ORAC) 98.09 µM Trolox equivalent/100 g, and total oxygen radical absorbance capacity (Total-ORAC) 1,665.19 µM Trolox equivalent/100 g.